(I wish wordpress would include a variety of fonts and font colors for us who get sick of posting in tiny black and white all of the time)
Onto the post . . .
Living in 2012 is special. We get to Skype, IM, text, email, and Tweet! Oh, and make phone calls from the bathroom stall at McDonald’s if we want to. Maybe not all changes were necessary.
Children’s toys have changed a bit, as well.
I saw a toddler’s toy yesterday and realized it was an outdated relic, but was still being manufactured. Remember the rolling toy telephones? They had eyes in front and a rotary dial on top? The receiver was bright red and was attached to the phone by a curly cord. The same kids’ parents who buy this toy – also buy their children IPads and also share with them cartoon Youtube videos from cell phones. It’s likely that these children have never seen a rotary phone – possibly not even a land line, push-button phone. How does this particular toy fit into the “needs” of a toddler?
Does a toddler have toy needs anyway? Give ‘em a pan and a wooden spoon. They love drink lids, too. Granted these things aren’t bright colors and do not make 27 noises.
Society wonders why the rate of ADHD has skyrocketed. I wonder if it’s because there is so much noise and light bombarding their poor senses every day.
My sweet grandson is almost eight months old, and he has what other babies have, as far as toys go. I was astounded by the amount of sensory stimulation that my grandson gets daily. TV, Youtube videos, noisy, bright things everywhere. I even get stressed by the constant “stuff.”
Don’t get me wrong, my daughter is a primo mother. I’m very proud of her. It’s not her parenting skills I am addressing here. It’s the toy companies’ R and D departments, manufacturers, and retailers who think our kids MUST have these bright, seizure-inducing, hyperactivity-conducing, “educational” toys (yeah, I’m a little passionate about this subject).
What happened to these?
This was a simple, colorful, linking, plastic toy. Inexpensive, and kids loved it!
What about these?
Toys were easy to understand. There were no musical red elephants with flashing lights in their butts. Kids had toys to kindle their imaginations.
I miss parts of the past. “The good old days?” No, not always. But, where kid’s toys are concerned, not everything newer is better.
Oh good lord!
Posted by Angel Fractured on June 24, 2012 at 5:02 am
Lol at a pot and wooden spoon. That would probably make a lot of annoying noise, though.
Another advantage of simple toys is that they also allow children to more fully explore creativity.
Posted by Russel Ray Photos on July 7, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Aren’t kids by definition nutty?………….lol
Posted by everydayclimb on July 7, 2012 at 9:57 pm