By Farah Decano

 

MY nephew, Mike, has owned an assembly of toy robots and superhero action figures since childhood. Already in his mid-thirties now, he has not stopped collecting them, much to the chagrin of his parents.  “Peter Pan complex,” they probably thought.

I guess Mike is just someone who does not blindly follow norms.  While studying engineering in La Salle Taft, he managed to go out to the streets and engaged in Krump dance battles.  We frowned at his passion because we considered it as a distraction from his  college-level studies.  We did not encourage his zeal for Krump.  “Think of your future,” reminded his father.

Little did we know that his much younger cousins thought highly of his craze. They auditioned in dance groups in their respective schools and engaged in the same “hobby.” We learned later that Mike was considered a dance legend among the youth in Manila and in the Philippines. He became famous with the nick, “Decky.”

My other nephews who took the same interest were treated with so much respect in the world of Hiphop because of their relations with Decky.  Because of the cousins’ constant “swooning” over their Kuya Mike, we finally gave in and supported their Krump interest.  We watched their performances and saw them win in national and international competitions.

“They are living my dream,” said Mike of his cousins.  We felt awful.  He could have gone much further with his dance had he been given the same support.

Nowadays, Mike has taken on another passion – toy photography.  He makes time for this diversion while he works for a US company as an engineer.  For a family that puts more value on academics, we again found this absurd once again.  We were convinced that he should not be putting so much time into toys anymore.

What is it with a play that society detests whenever kids reach adulthood?  Simple – it is considered an activity that drives us away from earning income.   While adults still play games such as basketball or soccer or boxing, these pursuits however are not frowned upon as childish because they can possibly empower the athlete financially.

Suddenly, Labubu and Molly dolls are now a trend.  These toys are seen hanging around expensive bags of adult celebrities such as Marian Rivera, Anabelle Rama, Vice Ganda, and Jinkee Pacquiao.   A  bunch of these famous individuals also show off their rooms exclusively devoted to these “playthings.”  People are fast becoming more accepting of mature ones who display their preference for toys as past time.

Our family’s minds have been changed again.  We are finally persuaded that playing with toys even during adulthood is not so bad after all. In fact, I bought myself several Labubu and TNT Dora dolls.  Through these items, I am able to reconnect to my days of innocence.  It makes me see the world through the lens of a child once more.

I suppose Mike’s parents need not worry about his unceasing penchant for these robots and superhero images because he can perform his adult roles and responsibilities maturely.  In fact, he makes money from his toy photography.   Mike reminded his dad, “We stop growing up when we stop playing.”

I cannot help but agree with my trailblazing and non-conforming nephew.  I have become his disciple. I will tell him that I bought myself an interactive robot as soon as I am able to set it up.  *Giggles*

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