To Box or Not to Box, That is the Purchase

My oldest boy, Gee, is going to turn 11 in a month and a half. And all he really wants for his birthday is "Futurama: The Complete Collection" box set.

And as much as I try, I am having a devil of a time justifying the purchase.

Part of it is money: at one hundred and fifty dollars, it is one incredibly expensive present. As I explained to the young avid reader, that single present would be the same as five really great hardcover books. (As a matter of fact, that was *before* I looked at the price. The books are the equivalent of $100; this boxed set is even more.)

Another part of my problem is the cost of the enjoyment: I can pvr a bunch of episodes for free and he can watch them to his heart's content. It's not as if there are a bunch of special features on the discs that he's dying to watch (Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher are unlikely to be doing commentaries on the discs), so it's not like there is any additional enjoyment coming from the box set.

He understands my reasons and yet he really wants the set. He said he'd even put some of his own money towards it.

And because of his commitment, I know my lovely wife is wavering.

But I said to her that it is a lot of money just so he can get some fancy packaging. I suggested that I try to find some used dvds of the season sets. But he isn't interested in the individual seasons.

My wife then revealed the sad reality of the situation to me: "Kevin," she said, "of course he wants the packaging. He's your son."

And as I look at my shelves and I see my yuppie Opus with his tags still attached and the Mini RC Dalek Battle Pack (with David Tennant as the Doctor) still in its original packaging, I realize that of course she is correct. If there is a little collectible monster gnawing at his heart, I created that monster and made sure it was hermetically sealed and wrapped in mylar for additional protection.

Nevertheless, I still want him to resist the packaging, to not buy something just because it's a special edition, to see the value in resisting the bells & whistles and perhaps realize the satisfaction that can be obtained in showing some self-restraint.

Y'know, all the stuff that I'm lousy at doing myself. (Stupid tempting, beautiful, fun, sparkly packaging.)

Because I would like him to be better than me.