Importance of children's toys

In both "Migration" and "Ice Age," children's toy's represent a happy childhood that is unavailable to children. These children have been born into a time when a "normal" childhood is unavailable to them. Their parents remember their childhoods. They remember how happy they were playing outside with friends. However, for the children in "Migration" and in "Ice Age" the idea of playing with toys outside is completely foreign. The parents in these stories want to give these childhood experiences to their kids, and they are willing to take minor risks to do so. In "Migration," the narrator allows his son to remain outside in an effort to provide his child some relief playing outside. In "Ice Age," the narrator seems willing to strike a deal with Phil Paulson as a means to get children's toys for his daughters. Both sets of parents want nothing more than to provide the childhoods they loved in a world where those childhood