Bye Bye Thomas. Bye Bye Childhood...

The youngest of my darlings has recently declared that "Thomas is for babies". 
I must admit that being the mature and worldly wise parent that I am, I didn't take this statement very well. It felt like a physical blow. I took this blow personally, it seemed to suggest my own children were strangers to me. 

Kind of like the time I presented seven-year-old Mim with a (supermarket bought but still) princess birthday cake and she said: "Oh thanks Mum, but I really wanted an Avenger's Cake!". 

Splutter!

What?!

So when Arch declared that "Thomas is for babies" I tried to deal with it rationally. Nah. That wasn't going to work. I felt stabs of irritation or was it resentment? Probably both. 

Irritation at the fickleness of today's youth. I mean he's four. He is still a baby to me. Surely he could have liked Thomas trains for at least another year or two? 

"What will I get him for Christmas now?" I moaned to my husband. 
"He's already asked me for my iphone," mentioned my husband gloomily. 
I snorted. One of the older ones has put him up to this. 
Grrrr.

Then there's my justified resentment for all the hours/days/years (and not to mention CASH!) I'd devoted to Thomas. All the time I'd spent searching shops for bargain trains and track. The euphoria (yes, I please easily) at snaffling a genuine Thomas table (not with the drawer, dang) from Ebay for a great price. The excitement at giving Arch the Special Edition Birthday Thomas train with two carriages (he was wrapt!) for his last birthday. The licenced pajamas, rash vests, caps and preschool bags, lunch boxes, drink bottles, pencils and edible cupcake toppers!!! Oh my giddy aunt, we'd had IT ALL!!!!* 

And then there were the nights, too many to count, of battling through reading those overly wordy, annoyingly argumentative, morosely moralistic and exceptionally boring story books by the good Rev Auden. A publisher's dream - never ending, and never out of print! All that time I'd have much rather been watching bad television or being asleep.

* Actually we never HAD IT ALL. Arch (and I) always wanted the covetable Island of Sodor lighthouse with the real light. But we never managed to get it. Doh!

So while struggling not to tear up and howl at the moon at this crushing milestone signifying the end of babyhood and possibly the childhood of a not-yet five-year-old, I decided to face reality and embrace the change. 

HELLO Ebay!

Here is my EBAY LISTING. As yet, there are no bidders:

I have a plastic carton of assorted wooden track pieces from the much loved and traditional (ie non electronic form of childhood amusement) Thomas the Tank Engine set including some Brio matching track.

Please note, the Brio set was a collector's space themed box that I was euphoric to get from a toy outlet store many years ago (sob) so some pieces are printed with aliens and there is a plastic moon rock piece for added spacey authenticity.

Box includes:

7x long straight

9x lg med straight (Don't know what the official terminology is, sorry)

3x med straight

4x short straight

8x wavy 

8x runoffs

10x short curves

10x dual track pieces

67x med curves

1x turntable track

Assorted trees and signs and roadblocks and fences

Plus whatever else I can find by this auction's end (Mostly currently underfoot, buried in underwear drawers and lurking in boxes of other games and toys that will no doubt be listed here at a later date).

If you want trains we have a mix of about 50 that have been bought, borrowed, sourced at opshops, stolen from or donated by friends (and if not returned, I am sorry. But, no I will not return them now as I have no way of knowing where they came from and who they once belonged to - yes call me a bad mother.) Apparently some of the colourful characters and very-bad-engines are still close to my son's heart and as i have neither time or energy to deal with the emotions attached to separating my son from Henry, Gordon, James, Cameron and Bertie and Butthead? (sorry Rev Auden) they are not included in this current listing.

Now to the track: If you are going to get upset at a few pieces with missing ends or a scratch or two please don't bid. Most of the collection is in excellent condition, well-loved but clean and looked after. I may have made a mistake in counting the number of each piece exactly (it was an excruciating task I failed in bribing my children to do for me) too so if you are going to be devastated by finding one less piece than i've mentioned (or you may get lucky and get a couple of extras!) then please save yourself angst and don't bid. 

No I am not trying to rip anyone off or deceive you and make your life a misery. I have never been brilliant at maths, which sometimes is a good thing (like if I was able to add up how much most of this train set originally cost us, I'd be crying a lot more than I already am!).

I am merely an at-times overwhelmed mother of multiple children (seemed like a good idea at the time) desperately trying to declutter and keep myself sane and my home off the hoarders program. 

Truth be told I would love to keep this set for the grandchildren but as that is (hopefully) many years off my husband has said we're keeping the train set over his dead body. And frankly there is no room for me to keep his dead body or the train set. And I am too tired to argue anyway on account of all the decluttering that is pretty much a full time job and with Christmas approaching my rising sense of panic needs to be alleviated in a way that doesn't require drugs or therapy (as ain't nobody got time for that!). 

So if you would like to supplement your Thomas set prior to the festive season with enough track to get you from here to Melbourne (depending on your current location, obviously, and only in a very round about way, on account of the glut of curved pieces) then please feel free to bid on this great collection of classic toys!! 

I promise I will not crazily stalk you in ten years time accusing you of denying my grandchildren of a classic wooden (non-electronic) collector's piece set of boyhood memorabilia that really actually belongs to me and could you please sell it back to me at 2015 prices!????

Okay, I can't actually promise that. 

Pick up is from my house. I'll be the one sobbing in the corner and holding on to the box until you drive off.

Questions and comments are welcome and answers may be forthcoming (hey, I could use the distraction!) ... 

too cool for trains and so NOT getting an iphone....