{"id":19,"date":"2013-06-05T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.195.124.95\/~redletu4\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/"},"modified":"2013-06-05T05:30:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-05T11:30:00","slug":"the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Only Toys a Kid Really Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I recently read a list of the best-selling toys of time. There were familiar ones from my own past including the Hula Hoop<\/a>, the View Master<\/a>, the Slinky<\/a>, the Pet Rock<\/a>, Mr. Potato Head<\/a>, Cabbage Patch Dolls<\/a>, Gameboys<\/a>, Barbie, and Nerf<\/a> balls.<\/p>\n

\n

Some of these are relics of my day. Some were created in my kid\u2019s formative years. Some transcend time.<\/p>\n

But there are three toys that every kid in every generation and culture will enjoy \u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u2014 A stick, a ball, and a box<\/i>.<\/p>\n

When I was out with my brother and Joey from down the street, we each had our own\u00a0stick.<\/strong>\u00a0We poked at the frogs croaking in the drainage ditch. And with those sticks we warded off aggressors raiding our make-believe castle. Later, we would sit on a fence and draw faces in the dirt with their pointed ends.<\/p>\n

\"Every<\/a>
Photo by Ken Banks<\/a>, Creative Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And every kid needs a\u00a0ball<\/strong>. We had a basketball that we wore thin down to the core, shooting baskets though the net-less rim until the dark chased us inside. We found a kickball in the weeds one day, obviously forgotten and abandoned. We showered it with great affection as we kicked it back and forth for hours.<\/p>\n

And life was at its very best when we found a good\u00a0<\/b>box<\/strong>. I remember the refrigerator box that lasted us all summer.\u00a0 We would strap a vegetable box on top of a skateboard, sit inside it, and then get a tow from a bicycle. Boxes were building materials for forts and buildings and tanks. And any box was good to keep stuff in \u2013 stuff like our balls and sticks.<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019m grown up, I find myself looking at some of the toys of my friends and neighbors.<\/p>\n

Like the new boat down the street. \u00a0It\u2019s one of those fancy ones with the canopy and big deck. I\u2019m sure there is a booming sound system and tow ropes to pull inner tubes across the water.<\/p>\n

And the other neighbor got one of those campers that are less like camping and more luxury living, with a bedroom on wheels fancier than the one we sleep in every night. He calls it \u201cglamping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the allure, I\u2019m still sticking with simple<\/strong>. I have a car and a tent. Maybe I\u2019ll go down to the lake and watch the kids swim in the water with floaties on their wrist. \u00a0The hot dogs will roast on a three-dollar disposable that I\u2019ll share with family and friends. And strangers, too.<\/p>\n

And maybe I\u2019ll all sit on a box in the sand, waving a stick in the air and throw a ball in the air until the sun goes down.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite toy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[box] What He Said:\u00a0\u201cTruly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven<\/em>.\u201d[\/box]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[box type=\u201dinfo\u201d] I was honored to have this published in More Living magazine, a publication of LifeWay Christian Resources<\/a> \u00a9 Copyright 2013. Used with permission. To order a subscription, call 800.458.2772 or visit www.lifeway.com\/magazines . This is a great magazine for boomers![\/box]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Enhanced<\/a><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently read a list of the best-selling toys of time. There were familiar ones from my own past including the Hula Hoop, the View Master, the Slinky, the Pet Rock, Mr. Potato Head, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Gameboys, Barbie, and Nerf balls. But in the end, it comes down to simple toys that transcend time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2375,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Only Toys a Kid Really Needs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are three toys that every kid in every generation and culture will enjoy \u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad-- A stick, a ball, and a box.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Only Toys a Kid Really Needs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are three toys that every kid in every generation and culture will enjoy \u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad-- A stick, a ball, and a box.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"David Rupert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"www.facebook.com\/davidrupert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-06-05T11:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/files\/2013\/06\/8922844044_4973fa412f_z-300x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Rupert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@rupzip\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Rupert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/\",\"name\":\"The Only Toys a Kid Really Needs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-06-05T11:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-06-05T11:30:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/#\/schema\/person\/1ee971d3244e1f67a487a31f55d37c81\"},\"description\":\"There are three toys that every kid in every generation and culture will enjoy \u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad-- A stick, a ball, and a box.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-only-toys-a-kid-really-needs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Only Toys a Kid Really Needs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/\",\"name\":\"David Rupert\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/#\/schema\/person\/1ee971d3244e1f67a487a31f55d37c81\",\"name\":\"David Rupert\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47e7c27dc78a66ace4b19bb00da8bccc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47e7c27dc78a66ace4b19bb00da8bccc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Rupert\"},\"description\":\"I am a communication professional who has a passion for people. 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