Are toys for men or for boys?

With so many new "toys" around nowadays it's hardmarket. Yesterday I was browsing online and came
to figure the aim of the toy market.across the new Sony "walkman phone". This is where
My 9 year old son Jack got a visit from SantaI see it all going - the "everything in one" phone. The
recently. Santa was very good to Jack - he got himnew walkman phone does more than just a phone -
an IPod and a PSP - the exact same as I got. I grewit's also your IPod, and your PSP. The walkman phone
up playing games and totally love the PSP - it's like thehas the same amount of memory as my IPod (2Gb)
toy I dreamed of when I was younger, and now that Iand can do everything my IPod does - it comes with a
have my IPod I don't know how I suffered the bus toUSB cable for downloading from your computer, and
work without it.can hook up to play your MP3s in your car, just like the
But how old do you get before you forget about kidsIPod. It also plays games - games of better quality than
toys and move on to big boys toys? It only seems likethe games I grew up with!
yesterday that I was shopping at kids stores for Jack.I thought that the PSP was what I dreamed of having
The last present I remember going into town to getwhen I was a child, but it was actually one of these
him was one of those kids easel things for doing histhings - a gadget that is everything you want, and fits
paintings (one of these things: ). And now, only aright into your pocket. What next can technology
couple of years later he's playing with the same thingsproduce to astound me?
as me.I think that Jack will be showing me the next thing that
Is he growing up too fast? Am I not growing up fasttechnology has to shock me. When I was a child there
enough? Or is it just society that is moving so fast forwere adult things, and children things. But not today -
us that age differences are starting to disappear intonow we have the same things; and Jack can beat me
the past?at any game when we link up our PSPs, and he also
Can technology become the bridge over theshowed me how to put my music from my computer
generation-gap? Will the future bring the ultimate toyto my IPod. Maybe the question isn't whether
gadget that will be the essential of everyone youngtechnology will bring kids into the same level of adults,
and old? I'm continually astounded nowadays at somebut does it put children on a much higher plane to us??
of the new products that are constantly hitting the