I had tons of Barbies and today I still have some Barbies boxed up in those stackable tubs with them all still in their respective boxes because mom wouldn't let me take them out the boxes “because they'd be worth something one day.”

“This one's special,” she'd say when I'd open one up for Christmas or a birthday and then it was placed on a shelf in the box! I had those I could play with and those that I couldn't, we all know about those…

But today, all of that has changed.

If my little one wants a Barbie out of the box-so be it. She gets the Barbie out of the box and Maji (that's grandma) agrees!

You can't explain to a two-year old that something has to stay in a box. That battle was lost before it ever started and the Barbie ordeal is just beginning.

I see a lot of Barbie paraphernalia being strung from one end of my house to the other before she gets old enough to move out.

So my philosophy is, if we buy it she can play with it and she's definitely into the Barbie stuff right now-which she pronounces like you would if you were saying, “throw another shrimp on the barbie.”

This past weekend while we were stuck inside watching Irene blow over our windy hill, she came running through the house yelling, “Daddy puhleeze come play Barbies wit me in my rooooom!”

Come on, how could he resist? I think there was even a little lip puckering involved too.

I mean I could resist, I had no problem, because I'd already played hours worth of Barbies, babies, Mr. Potato Head, and anything else that she could muster up while she kept me trapped in there but the other half was suckered in.

There they were in there together playing Barbies.

That's what he's for, I guess, to play Barbies, but he does it a little different than I do. I just play normal. You know, the way I remember playing when I was younger.

But the other half always has to add something to it. It just can't be normal with him.

See, when he played with her he had to build a castle out of blocks just for the Princess Barbie to live in, take the roof off of the other house and install a hot tub made out of the little one's stacking cups, and make sure the bathroom was up to code to handle all of those girls living in the same house at one time.

Come on, a HOT TUB!

Puhleeze…

And let me tell you, the almost three-year old will not forget these things. She'll want to play Barbie like this forever! I'm sure of it.

I'm double sure of it.

There will always have to be a hot tub in the house and the castle will have to be built every time even though I'm not a plumber or a construction worker.

Geez!

Shesh, I'll never live up to this new Barbie playing standard.

You know what that means; I definitely see a lot more Barbie playing time for him in his future. I can't wait to see how wild he does their hair or what adventure they'll take next the next time she comes calling for someone to play with her.