The Passing of a Tradition (addiction)

Several years ago on a trip to Walt Disney World, I started collected Disney Pins. Joanne now refers to it as my addiction and she's not far off the mark. I not only enjoy collecting them, but I also enjoy trading them in the parks and at Disney stores.
So, I decided it was time to share this fun with my grandchildren. Joanne says I just want someone else hooked on the pins, just like I am. Either way, I figured I could get some pin bonding time with Thomas, Taisie, and Levi.

First I got them each a lanyard for pin display and some starter pins for trading. I also got each of them a small pin bag for storing their keepers, the pins they don't want to trade. I explained to them how the Disney Cast Members will trade, the ones with a green lanyard only trade with children, while those with a blue lanyard will trade with adults and children.

They asked about what to do when they had traded all their pins. I told them I would give them 8 new pins to trade each day. It was up to them to decide which ones they wanted to keep.

After all the explanations, they were off. These kids weren't shy. They would chase down a Cast Member with a lanyard on to trade with them.

Levi concentrated his trading on getting any Villain he could.

Thomas focused on collected the Villains in a globe series and got them all.

Taisie narrowed in on the Baby Princess series and got all the ones in that series.

They pursued their quarry with military like precision, trying to be the first one to trade so they would get their choice.

What was nice was how they would trade one of their pins with a Cast Member for a particular pin they knew their brother or sister was looking and then go trade it with them.

I still did my own share of trading pins, but it was watching Thomas, Taisie, and Levi trading and getting excited about starting their own collections that was the most fun this trip.

At Christmas they'll be getting some keepers from us. I asked them each day what they enjoyed the most that day, whether a ride or an attraction, and then go and find new pins to purchase that are from what they enjoyed. Hopefully they will continue to find the joy of pin collecting and trading that I've found, maybe not the addiction though.