Recently, I had an unexpected and unplanned day with my youngest granddaughter.  It was certainly no chore to spend time with this energetic cutie, but I toyed with how to best keep her entertained. My husband was a bit under the weather, so having her at my place was not the best option. I had planned on stopping at a park, perhaps getting ice cream and visiting the animals at our favorite local farm/ice cream place. But before I could run that by her, she interjected her thoughts on the matter. She had in her possession a gift card for Target, which had clearly been burning a hole in her pocket! “Can we go to Target? Puh-leas? I have a card!” she said. No self-respecting grandmother would say no to that request! So off we bounded to that red and white shoppers’ Mecca, a place where you can get virtually anything for a decent price. But beware — the variety can be overwhelming! I admit it, I don’t usually frequent this store, merely because it is not all that close to my house. But when I do go, I invariably find some great treasures. But today was about my granddaughter. Ready for this day’s adventure, she was clad in her Elsa dress, donning an Elsa braid, and wearing glittery Elsa shoes. For those of you who do not speak Disney-ese, Elsa is one of the main characters of the movie “Frozen.” And that, my friends, is about the extent of my knowledge of current toys and trends. I realized fairly quickly that I am behind the times. As we walked down aisle after aisle of toys, I saw lots of faces that I did not recognize. Thank goodness I had a 5-year-old tour guide to correct, inform and enlighten me. “Oh, look, there’s Jack Pumpkinhead,” I said casually. “Mom-mom! That’s Jack Skellington.” Clearly, I had not done my due diligence on this one. Oops. Aisle after aisle went that way. Disney was not as easy as it used to be not only were there a plethora of new characters, but now they sell each princess at various stages of their lives!   Babies, kids and current day… I am waiting for the Disney geriatric assortment! And don’t even get me started on the superhero aisles! I recognized Spiderman and decided that I would count my winnings on that one and keep on walking! I thought I would feel at home in the Lego aisle. I remember when a package of Legos was a few dollars, and it was generic. You got a set of nondescript blocks and they formed whatever your imagination dictated. There were no instructions. Creativity reigned. Today? Each of the hundreds of boxes is a different set, building structures and sets from different movies, shows, themes and characters. Instructions, which I believe you need a Ph.D. to understand, are included in each set. And a vast payroll to support any Lego habit. Turning down the next aisle, I was temporarily put at ease by the sea of pink. Clearly, we had arrived at the Barbie aisle! But that ease was short-lived as the choices of different Barbies was nearly infinitesimal! There was a Barbie for every occasion and walk of life. Wow! I miss the days of simplicity. Barbie was Barbie. She had a little friend named Skipper. She knew a guy named Ken. One doll, lots of outfits and tons of imagination directed my play time with my friends. Life was indeed simpler. I was happy with my Lincoln Logs, canisters of Play-Doh, baby dolls and enjoyed playing outside with my hula-hoop and pogo stick. Once done with those, a friendly pick-up game of kickball was always a neighborhood event. With my granddaughter, we decided on a gymnastics Barbie, a set of twin baby dolls (a boy and a girl) and an old-fashioned Disney game, finding hidden objects. And I didn’t need an advanced degree to pick them out! Until we meet again, Target! Next time can we meet in the clothing section?