The Office – The Worst Toy EVER

For centuries parents have warned their children that they should be in no rush to grow up.  Aside from the obvious "additional responsibilities" and inevitable medical woes, one of the reasons moms and dads want you to stay young is to protect you from the dreaded 9-to-5  rigmarole that they are subjected to.

Then let me ask you this: What parent in their right mind would buy the Pretend and Play Office!?

I came across this horror show yesterday while wandering around Target aimlessly as my wife shopped for Halloween goodies.

$30 gets you an "official-looking" briefcase, pretend stapler and ID badge – plus dozens of other "office essentials."  Pushing pencils, filing papers and fingering a laptop are hardly  feeding the imagination.  I wouldn’t wish those tasks on my worst enemy, let alone some innocent, wide-eyed kid.

We are a work-obsessed culture.  The cult DVD success of Office Space; the rise of The Office around the globe; and yes, countless career advice blogs and Web sites just like this one.

I’m not condoning violent video games and toy guns, but heck, at least those require some imagination.

I remember having the Fisher Price medical kit, tons of wrestling figures and a Hess truck with working headlights – yet I went on to become none of those things.  Come to think of it, the fake syringe (filled with red paper) might have been enough to scare me away for good.  Perhaps this is the BEST thing you could buy your kids.  They’ll be so bored that the slightest thought of an office and it’s "fun" supplies will be enough to have them run in the other direction.

Life is filled with pretend time at work: pretending I’m interested; pretending I care; pretending I like people; pretending I’m paid enough; pretending I’m proud of what I do; heck, pretending I’m awake!

The Office play set boasts, "Be your own boss!" Well, in the play world, a stack of write-and-wipe paychecks make that possible.  Dream on, kids. And pretend at your own risk!

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