Re: \"a flashlight is a $2 thing....\"
To give your dad the benefit of the doubt (easy for me because I'm probably older than he is...), maybe what he's saying is that if you can concentrate on "serious" preparation for your future, e.g. school, academic learning, etc., then you will grow up to be successful, in which case you can pursue even the most extravagant form of your hobbies (think a complete set of future Lionheart VIII's in selected colors with nuclear isotope power cells /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif )with your pocket change because you will be successful and rolling in money. I know this is no consolation now, just a possible explanation for him.
On a more practical note, perhaps you can suggest having a hobby budget which you both can agree on, and then manage your flashaholism within that budget. That's frustrating for a while, but it can still be mentally fun to try to get the most out of a fixed toy budget. Maybe you can make little mods and sell them to your friends, or something.
I suspect that if you showed some business sense because of this, your dad would at least be secretly pleased, because that will be useful for your whole life.
If it's any consolation, parental concern (love?) is often hard, both on the giving and on the getting end.
