Over the years, one of the common
complaints that I hear from parents, especially at this time of year, is that
their children have too many toys. This seems like it would be a problem easily
fixed, but somehow it isn’t.
In an article from the ExchangeEveryDay,
the 8/13/2012 issue called “Unneeded Toys”, I read the following: “The United
States has 3.1 percent of the world’s children, but buys 40 percent of all toys
sold wordwide”. Obviously there is a huge disconnect here.
The author, Carlo Rotella, continued by
speculating that if a family with children under 12 were marooned on an island
where there was no electricity and no need for sports equipment, what five toys
would fulfill their needs.
He and his two children came up with the
following list:
1.
A medium-size
ball – unlimited games to play and useful for all ages.
2.
A board game –
probably one with a lot of play value and variety.
3.
Legos – not the
kits, but a free assortment of the blocks that could be built into anything.
4.
Playing cards –
again only limited by one’s imagination.
5.
A stuffed animal –
providing comfort and an infinite variety of imaginative play opportunities.
I would suggest that you and your family
construct your own list and find out what you and your children really value.
What can you easily give up and what would you find very difficult to do
without. For gifts this year I would also suggest that you think outside the
toy box and think in terms of experiences, memories, volunteer work, family activities,
etc. Let’s really do something about too many toys. We have that power.
Happy Holidays!
Carol