Christmas Past
Permit me to reminisce a bit. As a child of the 1960s and 1970s, my Christmases were made of toys and dolls. I can remember with almost crystal clear clarity every single major doll I was given as a gift when I was a little girl—Barbies, Liddle Kiddles, Penny Brite, Baby Magic, Tammy, Crissy, Velvet, and several Madame Alexander dolls. I remember when I got them, and many, many happy hours of playing with each. As an adult, these fond memories led me to my rich hobby of doll collecting. If you speak to many doll collectors, you will often find similar cherished memories of dolls and Christmases in their pasts.
Cherished Memories
Today, as an owner of a shop that features dolls, one of the things I enjoy most is watching grown ups stumble upon my shop and be transported back to their childhoods. They will look at the dolls, transfixed, and then, often, I am told beautiful memories of their Christmases past and special dolls in their lives. When a customer like this leaves my shop, I know I have made their day special.
Christmas Present
Fast forward to today, when it seems that iPods, cell phones and video games seem to be at the top of everyone’s Christmas lists—even children as young as 6 or 7 years old! As I’ve mentioned, I certainly understand the allure of electronics. But….electronics for little children? Aren’t we robbing them of our childhoods when we let them (and ourselves) succumb to the popular culture and focus on the latest, hottest gadgets for the holidays?
Christmas Future
Can you picture this scene in 2050: A middle age woman walks into an antique store and is surrounded by outmoded iPods and cell phones, and she gets that gleam in her eye—she mists up, and waxes poetic about the joys of the cell phones and iPods of Christmases past. Desperately, she searches for the exact model of cell phone she received as a 9 year old child. Somehow, I just don’t think so.
Put Down That iPod!
So, for this Christmas and for Christmases to follow, consider carefully whether to give in to gift lists filled with electronic gadgets for tots. Dolls and similar imaginative play toys (trains and building blocks, dollhouses, action figures, toy cars, etc.) do so much more for our children than video games. Imaginative play toys let the imagination of children take flight—they allow them to “find” themselves and explore the world around them. A scripted video game simply can’t do that—all the imaginative work has been done for the child by the video game designers. Even in today’s busy, plugged in, overwhelming world, children are still children and they need play to figure it all out.
So, put down that iPod and pick up that baby doll. Your children will thank you for it later.
