Recently my wife has been searching high and low for a present for
one of her nephews. He's 4 years old and really into 'animals'.
She has been to loads of different shops (including ToysRUs) and has
really drawn a blank. Everything nowadays seems to be TV or Movie
merchandise! Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Scooby Doo etc etc...
Traditional toys are being forced off the shelves and even traditional
board games are now produced in special versions to tie in with TV
shows.
I think its a pity that kids have so little time before the modern world
turns them into 'brand conscious consumers'.
Anyway, she's ended up ordering a Tiger dressing up costume from
the web.... LOL It'll probably have a Kellogs Frosties logo sewn onto it!
Rhymester
I have similar problems. I find it most depressing that kids expect to
be entertained rather than discover how to invent games amongst
themselves.
I remember leaving my house at 8am and not getting back until
mid/late afternoon - playing with my friends or by myself.
I guess times have changed a bit - both parents working more these
days, breakup of the nuclear family, more insulation into our own lives
and a greater fear of letting kids roam freely outside. My wife would
freak if we let our 11 year old roam around the neighborhood without
knowing exactly where he was. Guess some of it may be hightened
awareness of child abduction and the like. Also fear of street violence,
gangs, drugs, etc.
How many neighbors do you know well? I knew most within 1/2 mile
radius well when I was a kid.
really is a shame or maybe just my age showing through.
David
This is something I feel very strongly about.
I feel that children are expected to grow up far too quickly. Society
and the media places so much pressure on teenagers to behave like
adults. I've had some very interesting discussions about this with Tim
(tenebr8). It's something which frustrates me and annoys me deeply.
In some cases it's unavoidable. If a child runs away from home then
that child suddenly has to start looking after him or herself in order to
stay alive. That's not the kind of thing I'm talking about. I mean how
14 year olds have relationships and things and want to behave like
adults.
I really feel quite a big rant coming on about this but after moaning
and complaining about cricket and Zimbabwe in a different thread I
don't think it would be very welcome somehow. I just think it causes a
lot of damage to a child to grow up too quickly.
Mark