During the holidays, I am under pressure from my son to buy him something called a Skylanders Giants Starter Set. I had never heard of such a thing, so I checked online and found that it is an expensive kit that comes with a game and a couple of creatures. It is a "starter kit", which means kids will have to collect additional Skylander figures, each of which costs around $15. Once collected, such figures cannot be taken apart, re-designed or reassembled. Children just collect more and more of them until the trend is replaced by the next big thing. As Spring Festival approaches, I am afraid many other parents face a similar situation.

I asked my son why he wants this Skylander thing so badly. He replied, "Everybody else is getting it." He gave me a list of names, which made me wonder what is wrong with children today. Can't they just collect stamps or something? They just move from Pokemon cards to Angry Birds to Skylanders. The manufacturers create such toys in series so that kids will keep buying them. It is very addictive for children. The manufacturers also set prices deliberately high to give an illusion of value. Children use such prices to manipulate their parents into thinking that they need to buy these products to show their love.

Let's face it. Some people nowadays cannot value anything without a price tag. If it is expensive, it must be good. As Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, points out, outdoor play, valuable as it is, is quickly diminishing because it is free. Nobody promotes something that isn't helping someone make money.