For years I never ventured to the left side of Toys R Us with all the boy toys. I steered my cart to the right where the Disney princess stuff could be found and almost everything was pink. Over the years I shopped on the right side for Easy Bake ovens, tea sets, a Strawberry Shortcake house, Polly Pockets, and an array of Barbie luxury items.

Since the birth of my son I’ve had to start navigating the unfamiliar territory of the left side of the store – Star Wars Lego sets, action figures, Tonka trucks, Hot Wheels, Nerf guns, and army men. Just yesterday I found myself shopping the left side of Toys R Us. But not for my son. My husband wanted a remote control helicopter. He started with a little one but quickly had to upgrade to this.

We women outgrow the need for tea parties with our dolls. Boys, on the other hand, keep their toys. They call them “collector’s items.” The older they get the bigger and more expensive their toys. (In fact, there’s got to be some mathematical equation where you take the value and size of a man’s toys and it equals his age.)

Here’s what I’m confused about: they say you grow old when you stop playing. So why do men have a shorter life expectancy than women?