Likely Normal

Parents quickly learn that no amount of brightly colored plastic toys can compete with the siren song of mundane objects – especially anything with moving parts. While adults see a grocery store conveyor belt as a simple mechanism for transporting canned goods, children see the world’s most exciting amusement park ride. The moment a child spots that black rubber ribbon start moving, their eyes light up with the realization: this is basically a free roller coaster for their action figures. Suddenly, the checkout line becomes a high-stakes game of “What happens if I send this divider through again?” while long-suffering parents attempt to explain why the cashier doesn’t appreciate their child’s experimental physics demonstration.

Airports take this phenomenon to new heights. Those luggage belts aren’t just for bags – they’re a rotating stage for impromptu performances, an endless carousel of mystery (“Will my stuffed animal make it all the way around?”), and occasionally, when no one’s looking, an irresistible challenge to see if a small human can ride it too. Security bins become makeshift sleds, escalators transform into vertical adventure courses, and automatic doors? Forget about it – those are clearly magic portals to another dimension that only open when you approach with sufficient dramatic flair.

The real magic lies in how children’s imaginations bypass all intended functionality. A shopping cart isn’t for groceries – it’s a race car, a spaceship cockpit, and occasionally a wrestling opponent. A stack of airport luggage becomes an impromptu fortress. Even something as simple as a hotel key card slot provides minutes of entertainment as tiny fingers test how many times they can make the light turn green before someone intervenes. Parents eventually surrender to this reality, accepting that their carefully selected educational toys will gather dust while their child devotes hours to “helping” unload the dishwasher by arranging measuring cups into a drum set.

At its core, this proves two universal truths of childhood: 1) The best toys are always the ones not marketed as toys, and 2) No matter how many times we say “Don’t touch that,” the allure of making a conveyor belt go “vroom” is simply too powerful to resist. So the next time you see a toddler completely enthralled by an office chair or a revolving door, just nod in understanding – they’re not being silly, they’re simply appreciating the free entertainment value the world keeps carelessly leaving lying around.