*2010-05*..Boys and their toys by Kartini Knox..

Boys will be boys it seems, no matter how old they get. My husband is a prime example of the new generation of "man boys" who are reluctant to leave their childhood behind. I'm talking about toys, video games and gadgets.

It amuses me to see him jump up and down excitedly, while telling me about the latest gadget that Apple has come out with. Because once a gadget has caught his attention - living, talking and breathing it, is how man-boys deal with the Object-Of-Their-Affection, before actually coming up with the cash to buy it. (On the other end of the stick, it does get wearing, being on the receiving end of non-stop yakking about the latest iPad).

Shopping with the husband is like being out with a six-year-old, to see his face light up at all the new video game titles. Racing game steering wheels, drum sets and plastic rock-game guitars, produce audible "oohs" and "ahhs" from him, and amused smiles from the shop staff, who've come to know him as a regular customer (and practically a chum).

Girls, if you're married to, or dating a man-boy, you've probably come to accept the one-hour-minimum spent in the video game store, as your other half exuberantly checks out all the latest titles, peripherals, add-ons and expansion packs. (If those words are mumbo-jumbo to you, well, they were for me too, until I met him).

What is it about men that make them stay stuck to their childhoods like glue? My husband explained that back in his (real) childhood - his parents would only reward him with toys and games if he earned good grades in school. Time spent at game and toy shops would be limited - hardly enough to indulge a boy's taste for all-things-fun. Fast forward into adulthood: earning one's own income and newly acquired spending power, makes it easy to indulge in the things one longed for as a child.

My brother is no different, having recently spent a small fortune on long-lost but never-forgotten action figures from his childhood. Nostalgia has no price tag for him - (although he can be quite tight with his wallet on other occasions). When it comes to toys, my brother's spending power apparently has no limits. (Much to the chagrin of his wife and perplexity of our parents).

My husband loves to spend hours playing video games on all three different consoles, of which he is, the proud owner. How much of a gaming fanatic is he? Well, not content to spend the usual amount of money on a particular game, he will spend extra on the "Special Limited Edition", (complete with maps, swords, armours and so on). The gaming T-shirt is always worth the extra dollars, he says, because it never fails to impress his other man-boy friends and attract countless, effusive compliments from them.

All these toys, games and gadgets, eventually pile up - and anyone living with a "Peter Pan" will probably have one room in the house, relegated for old junk. It's a place for the ever-expanding collection of comics, magazines, toys and old video game console relics that date back two decades. It's the one room in the house that you've likely been dying to clear out, but he won't allow you to touch. He calls it his "Treasure Room". Similarly, my brother has been bugging me to let him have my old room, in which to store his mini toy museum collection. (Not likely to happen).

In some ways, I'm glad I married a toy/game fan and not a car enthusiast. I've known some of them to ask their families to get out and PUSH when going over a speed bump!

Recently, while the husband was talking about the XBox 360, I pointed out that he hadn't yet got the XBox 359.

As well as my newly acquired video gaming education, thanks to him - I've also developed a penchant for computer games.

Though not quite the hard-core gamer he is, it's probably a good thing - we can only accommodate one flat screen, HD TV in the games room!

-Im Totally agree wit her