No...not the ones you hurt people with, I'm talking about the ones kids once used as toys. As a nanny, I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time observing which parenting styles worked and which did not. I learned some invaluable lessons during those years, here are the biggies:
1. Babies need LOTS of love - no matter what else is going on!
2. Babies need LOTS of sleep - no matter how much they protest.
3. Babies need good nutrition - no matter how hard or expensive it is to provide it.
4. Babies DO NOT need toys that flash and beep!!
The fourth point is the one I'm going to address in this particular blog, although I'm sure I'll address the others at some point (I'm pretty passionate about all of them!)
This morning Karl came home and wanted me to listen to an episode he heard on NPR entitled "Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills." The article/episode validated my current disdain for toys that flash lights and play music (noise.) The most appaulling (but not surprising) facts highlighted in this article was how different our kids are since we have introduced these kinds of imagination-killing toys into their lives. Instead of reciting the entire article, you can read it (or listen to it) if you would like here. Basically, we have a problem on our hands with children who do not know how to control themselves and do not know how to play if "Dora the Explorer" is not telling them what to do or a toy isn't lighting up their face as they play with it.
I have heard many parents tell me how they don't like the toys their kids play with or that they think their kids have too many. The weird thing to me is that they do nothing about it, like they are powerless to stop their kids from having these things. Sure, it is more difficult to ignore the commercialism or to kindly ask well-meaning gift-givers to forgo the "fun" toys and give clothes or books instead. Who wants to be the "bad guy?" The truth is, children know how to play instinctively, and it's us (the parents) who ultimately have the power to encourage or inhibit this in them. I know that no loving parent would intentionally curb their child's imagination, but many are unintentionally doing it all the time.
It is certainly not my intention to toot my own horn here - that is a huge peeve of mine in this already overly narcissistic blog world. I simply want to give some "food for thought" to any loving parent who wants the best for their kids - and that may just be a wooden spoon at playtime!
3 comments:
LOVE it. And I can't WAIT for the sleep blog.
I totally agree with you! I can't wait for Soren to come over to play with the "drum kit" that Hattie invented out of a stainless steel colander, a bamboo cup and a wooden spoon! FYI the colander doubles as a super stylish hat!
I could not agree more! we were just talking about this this weekend... Plastic/noisy kid toys taking over ones house is my pet peeve! and sad for the kids.(i know we have talked about this before...=)
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