January 2, 2017

  • Looking at the Simple Pleasures

    I rarely watch TV anymore but Sparky lured me into watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with him. It was better than I had remembered. However what struck me were the commercials. All of the ones that aired were geared toward kids and they touted the need for the latest and greatest electronic gadget and game. What happened to the toys that required imagination? I was struck by the pre-fabricated stories in the games. There was no need for the player to make up their own scenario, invent their own villain or hero, and certainly no requirement to populate the game with creatures from the depths of their own imaginations. And it was a subtle yet effective message that to be cool, popular and even physically attractive you just had to own this game console or system. Quite the "hard" sell to pre-teens and insecure teens. Growing up I have to admit to playing with Barbie dolls until I was in Middle School. Once I outgrew the dolls there were other games and other toys. My best friend and I would play jacks for hours. There was tether ball, four square, and of course plain old basketball. Nearly every driveway in my subdivision had a hoop.

    When did we loose sight of the simple pleasures? When did electronic games take the place of cards and balls and make believe? We used to make up games all the time. One that was a favorite involved a jump rope, basketball and a bucket. The object was to get the basketball into the bucket. However you couldn't touch the ball unless you were touching the rope. Usually there were 3 of us playing. There were no teams so if you were holding the rope the others were pulling you away from the bucket, sometimes spinning you around! It was loads of fun and we got lots of exercise. And when the weather wouldn't permit those outside activities we had books. We would read falling into the story. Then we would trade books and eventually discuss the stories. Little did we know but we had our own version of a book club. We made up dances and wrote our own plays that we acted out for our own diversion. Now the kids don't know how to pretend. They have lost sight of whimsy and the simple pleasures that you can find playing charades. No one builds doll houses out of sticks, leaves and flowers to be inhabited by imaginary fairies and snipes...

Comments (16)

  • I know. It's sad.

    • I think you and seedsower both provide wonderful opportunities for the children in your families to engage their imaginations! There was an article in the newspaper today about parents spending too much time on smart phones and not enough with their children...

  • I agree, it is sad. Even with Kindles taking the place of books and so many different games,It is almost like everyone forgot the joyful days of family game night with hungry hungry hippos or mouse trap.

  • I am glad I also grew up learning to enjoy afternoons outdoors, and rainy days with books and board games. They are still some of my favorite activities. ( but I admit I am also quite fond of my Animal Crossing game on handheld 3DS device)

    • There is something delightful with the interaction of a card or board game with other players! The interplay of social interaction, puns and witty remarks that don't happen with electronic games. I think they help develop social skills - especially for those that have difficulty when there is no structure for interactions!!

  • I so remember making hollyhock dolls as a girl ~

  • @murisopsis: what is aggravation?

    • It is a board game where you move your marbles around the board and try to get them home. Other players can land on your marble's spot and send you back to the beginning. Kind of like Sorry... It is very fun but my grandparents played "dirty" and you had to roll doubles to get your returned marble on the board again, they also made the other players pay a penny for each marble that they didn't have home when the game was won. At least it was a penny when the kids played but I think it was a dime when it was just adults!

  • Brought back memories....Nancy Tackett & I played jacks and baseball in summer & paper dolls and Monopoly rainy days & winter and read ALL the Nancy Drew mysteries...oh we also made hollyhock dolls with toothpicks and blossoms under Grandma Bessie's lilac tree. We were outside playing most of the time until dark.

    • I remember you talking about paper dolls. We had them too but I always found it to be more fun to cut/punch out the clothes than to actually play with the dolls.

  • We played a lot of tag in the early evenings after supper. When my brother and I played card games I always won because I was 3 years older. To this day, he hates to play games. I remember one time he got mad while we were playing Chinese checkers, and he dumped all the marbles on the floor. I wasn't enough older than him to even think of letting him win once in awhile.

    • Too bad your brother is soured on games... I hated losing but I hated having someone let me win even more!

  • I have no interaction with the children of today but watching the toy ads or the check out lines at the store it is obvious what you say is true.

    I guess growing up for me was a great time for imagination, often at the top of the old apple tree.

    • There was more time then for "free" play as opposed to all the structured activities of today - where children have scheduled everything! They are in class at school and then they go to dance class, gymnastics class, and all the athletic practices/classes. There is little time to be creative on their own.

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