Last night my children played together quietly without arguing.   They asked to take their bath early, begging us to start it as soon as possible after dinner.  And as a result both went to bed early, getting their first full night sleep maybe ever. For one rare night we were the functional family that every one thinks exists before they actually have kids.

The reason: a toy. More specifically a spy toy that allowed them to be a team, to collude and plot and plan a devious trap for their parents, one that had a big pay off:  belly busting joy as their parents set off the Lazer Tripwire High Security System they had placed in the hallway near the bathroom.

I have never felt comfortable pretending.  The Santa Claus thing feels awkward every time I lie.  I help him with the word “prevaricate” when we play Scrabble, and it feels wrong.  But last night I had no problem ignoring the whisper-giggles coming from the hall as they set up the tripwire.  And why would I?  The wife and I were actually having a conversation before dinner.  I was more than happy to play along with the “its time for a bath, Dad” ruse.  And if I over dramatized the event when I set off the alarm, who cares.   We laughed all the way to the early bath.

Here are a few more reasons why I like this toy.

1. As physics teacher in a previous life, I am weary of photo gate malfunction.   These seem pretty sturdy.

2. The UX on the base has some thought behind it.  A light tells you when the beam is in the right position, and after a second a sound indicates that it is engaged.  This makes the toy easy to use, and adds value to the kids experience.  My seven year old had was able to get it to work.

3. I had the opportunity to tell my kid what a laser is, and the fact that this toy is not really a laser, but instead probably an LED.  He will never misspell “lazer” in Scrabble again.  (I gotta say putting quotes around lazer makes me laugh.  This also dovetails nicely with the discussion we have been having about black light and the iCoaster rails.

4.  When I told him what LASER actually stands for (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) he said “whatever” which allowed me to realize that I need to hit him with age appropriate acronyms from now on.

5. You can actually hit a beat by rhythmically interrupting the beam.

6. The base unit receptors can be put at angles other than horizontal, allowing for some creative placement.

Anticipation is a big part of this toy.  For me too.  I happily anticipate there will be a day when my kids actually surprise me with it.  To which I will respond:  Go get the Scrabble game kid. I am taking my etymology gloves off.