Good afternoon. It’s time for Friday Fictioneers. Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting and to Sean Fallon for the cool photo.
Here are more stories from the Fictioneers, related to this photo prompt. As always, your participation is welcome. Why not give it a try?
Copyright-Sean Fallon
Batteries Not Required
“Do we have any batteries, Daddy?” she said, looking at the jar.
“No. Those are for recycled. And, since it’s filled to the top, I get to throw away three of your toys.”
The little girl gazed at him in disbelief. She sat on his lap. “Why? They’re not broken. They just need new batteries.”
“So this means we don’t need anything new?” he teased. “We always seem to need the new ones. You can’t have it all. What will it be? Batteries or toys?”
The little girl held her raggedy doll close to her chest. “You can’t throw away this one.”
Aww, I love this. A lot. Nostalgia.
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Thanks, La La!
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A thought-provoking piece. First I though Dad was being mean; then, that he was teaching her a gentle lesson. That led me to think once again of how technology-dependent we are, a subject that has lots of scope for thought and discussion. (BTW, I think you meant “those are for recycling” or maybe “those are to be recycled. Hope you don’t mind me mentioning it.)
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Thanks. I never mind if you have suggestions. I really appreciate it. My initial thought was that she still wanted to get the toys AND the batteries, since she chose a toy that didn’t have batteries. But, really that actually is a sweet thing. That’s the toy that matters most, the one that requires no batteries. Talking about technology-dependence takes it to another level. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments.
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Sniff…tear….losing my man card…
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Ah, that’s just what I was hoping for…
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I loved it. Makes me think we have too many battery toys and not enough no battery toys. I don’t think my kids would go for throwing away toys..
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Thank you, Mari. I know, right? There’s many I would like to get rid of….but I haven’t made the time to organize. It’s one of my least favorite things to do. If I did it, I would have to do in secret.
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I have to clean the kids’ room alone. Or listen to the heart breaking pleas and why that object they haven’t touched in years has to stay. LOL
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Aww…this tugged at my heart. I can see this happening. You captured the emotion so well in this piece Amy. Love it
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Thank you, Boomie!
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Nice one. I looked at that picture and couldn’t come up with anything.
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Thanks, Stephen! I had a hard time thinking about anything except toys. That’s all I could think about!! That is all batteries mean to me right now. They drive me crazy. I’m always running out. Hey, does that inspire anything for you. 🙂
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No not a thing. My batteries must be running low.
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Lesson learned…
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My daughters still have the stuffies they’ve had since they were toddlers…this post got me smack in the heart. Very nice.
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Thank you! The stuffies…I like that one.
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love it! Tender..
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Thank you!
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Hi Amy,
Good point. Some of the best stuff doesn’t require batteries. Like books without batteries. Art without batteries. People without batteries. Like your title says! Ron
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I come from a big family and we didn’t have a lot of money but we weren’t poor…lets call it working class. Anyway my dad tried getting us to get rid of the old broken toys but that didn’t work so he built this huge toy chest/bench around the basement….well that filled up as well. Still we wouldn’t throw the toys out. So he did it himself…all of them. After some tears we realized that we had the best place to hide when playing hide and seek…Kids adjust! New toys come along, life moves on and dad always seem to know best like it or not! Nice story even better kid. Thought provoking as you can tell by my long comment!
Tom
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Hi, Tom! I’m glad this was thought provoking. I come from a big family, too. Six kids, so there were lots of toys I’m sure. Mostly I remember my barbie dolls. But, I think collectively there was a whole lot. Now, my kids have toys I’d love to throw away!! You are absolutely right. Kids adjust pretty well. They probably won’t even notice they’re gone. Or, they’ll have another kind of fun, like your hide and seek. That’s a nice memory. Thanks for all your great comments!
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Nice story. I’ve been through similar discussions with my kids about batteries (cost and environmental impact).
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Thanks! We can never have enough batteries in our house it seems! And, they aren’t exactly cheap either. Luckily our library accepts batteries for recycling. Thanks for reading mine.
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A “tug at the heart strings” ending… Well done.
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Thanks, Lora.
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Nice. I love it that in the end the little girl opted for the doll that needed no batteries. I gave my son a teddy bear with a windup music box for his first Christmas. Not only is that bear still around and working, it’s now in his 20 month old daughter’s possession
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Thanks, Rochelle. Wow, that’s a wonderful story about the teddy bear. That’s precious. I bet nothing could compete with that teddy.
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Good point. Why does every single toy have to make noise? Even dolls have that one hard spot in them where the electronics go. Bring back the all-soft toys.
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Thanks, David. That’s very sweet. You wouldn’t hear any objections from me!
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What a mean daddy!
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Shirley, you’re right! He does have a little bit of a mean streak, doesn’t he?
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Lovely story. Very sweet, but a slight touch of cruelty to tease the little girl.
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Yes, I agree. Sweet but a little tainted. Hmm…like so many things. Thank you.
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i hope the kid kicks him where it hurts!
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Oh, Rich. That’s a possibility!
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The best toys are always the ones that don’t need batteries, just your imagination. Love this!
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Thanks, Lisa! I think so, too. They are the toys that last and last.
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I remember one year all my little boy wanted for Christmas was batteries and socks
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That’s funny. My kids are always asking for batteries. They don’t always get them. They should put them on their Christmas list. That’s a good idea!
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Hi Bumble Bumble! Awwww! Perfect! I love the whole thing! I am always inspired by a great image and that is a good one.
Thanks for visiting my place today when I was FP’d. What a nice b’day gift. 😉
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Ah, nice. Dad teaching a lesson and the little girl is smart enough to know her beloved Raggedy Ann passes the battery test.
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Thanks, Beth. Pass the battery test…I love your comment. Nothing beats a toy you can cuddle with.
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that was touching. Reminds me when the kids were little and would say “I’m bored” I would say, “You have a house full of toys….”
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Funny, I have that very same issue. Sometimes they actually do play with them and that always makes me happy. Thanks for reading mine, Bill.
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Awwwww! So cute 😉
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Thank you, Dianne!
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Aw, man, B.F! That’s… really, really… wow! 🙂
I nearly dropped my gangland inspired sock-full-o batteries! 😉
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Thanks, SIG! I’m glad I could deliver 🙂
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As per ALWAYS!
🙂
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Nice post. And relevant coming up to Xmas, I just bulk ordered rechargeable batteries from Amazon to cope with the new toy influx.
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Thank you! Good idea. Right, we must prepare for the influx. I understand your thinking. The rechargeable ones should keep you for awhile. Thanks for reading.
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Really love this!
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Thank you so much!
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Dear Amy,
A perfect story, both for the prompt and for without. I would have kept my worn out old teddy bear over all battery toys, though batteries weren’t invented yet when I was growing up. Lovely.
Aloha,
Doug
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Thank you, Doug. That’s so sweet of you! Battery-operated toys are never my favorite either.
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Because you inspire me I have nominated you for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Check out the details here: http://wedelmom.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/inspirational/
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Thank you so much! That’s very kind of you. I really appreciate the recognition.
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