It seems that Toy Story was real afterall Favourite toys don't alwasy remain favourite, as Lisa Power has discovered with her own son. PUFF the magic dragon is the saddest of songs. My nine-year-old is currently having his own Jackie Paper moment, shedding the toys that entranced him as a little boy. Packing up ahead of a family building project, he has carelessly discarded the things that once ruled his world. Wooden trains he spent hours pushing across the floor until he got carpet burn on his forehead were dumped on the 'chuck pile. His vast collection of plastic dinosaurs and dragons were also earmarked for the rubbish tip. From the age of two he spent hours and hours building dinosaur worlds in the garden, dressed either as a dragon or wearing a dinosaur tail. Walking With Dinosaur documentaries were on high rotation and books on prehistoric creatures were consumed daily. His other major interest - shared with his father - has also been shelved with the Star Wars figurines once cherished by both generations no longer wanted. Instead, X Box games, handballs, Pokemon cards and One Piece books take pride of place. It's hard to see the things that once defined him and his world junked. I have secretly stored them, knowing there will be a time when he will be interested in revisiting his childhood passions. In a fit of nostalgia, we watched video footage of him aged three, running around the garden dressed as a raptor, talking excitedly about meteors wiping out the dinosaurs. His face glowed with happiness, his interest all consuming. He's come a long way since then and moving away from childish things is natural. But it's also a signal that the magic of childhood is drawing to a close. His new interests are peer-influenced, a sign that he now cares to conform and grow up. That is the hardest thing to see as a parent because it highlights the fact that in a decade they will be gone. In the famous song Jackie Paper forgot Puff "one grey night" so the mighty dragon "slipped sadly into his cave." But by salvaging the precious toys that influenced the lovely young man he is becoming, I hope one day he will again fall under the spell of their magic. I have done the same with my special things, which were carefully hoarded by my mother and are now used and loved by my own children. Seeing Mr Frosty once again churning out ice treats and the trusty Play Boot teaching how to tie a shoe lace is sweet. Even the old Smurf collection is back in fashion. So just maybe it is not goodbye, but merely a temporary farewell.