TOYS

Bringing up the young as successfully as possible, preparing them for life and all that they will face is a problem that plagues modern parents. Couple this with their need to work full time and a very disturbing picture emerges. People cannot be in two places at once hence what are they to do with their precious children? The latter’s cognitive skills need to be developed, their intellectual capacity needs to be increased, their creative skills need to be fostered alongside their hobbies and interests. The only way out of the dilemma is to devise a way to do all this and remain at work during the day is to find the right medium to impart all these skills. Enter toys. The abundance of toys the modern child is showered with has to be seen to be believed. It cannot be denied that a certain number of toys are beneficial and provide various advantages but the modern playroom does provide some disadvantages too.

Play has long been the way mammals acquire various life skills and humans are no exception. Play helps develop all manner of cognitive and physical skills. The function of toys is to promote play and guide thinking thus providing kids with a means to self enhancement. Toys that are bought for kids can be classified into two groups as those which  support cognitive development and those that introduce life skills. In this respect, legos, jigsaws, building blocks and the like can be listed as educational toys. The former two are so popular that parents enjoy them as much as their kids. Board games on the other hand bring people together round a table, promote socialization and the learning of social skills. They encourage bonding in a family or among a group of friends. Dolls and doll’s houses introduce social roles and prepare girls for life. In short there is no denying that toys have their place in child development and serve a useful function but moderation is not something doting parents subscribe to.

Too much of most things is bad for one and that includes toys. The feeling of guilt experienced by absentee parents cannot be gotten rid of by buying kids every new doll that hits the shelves or every new corgi that emerges in a shop window. Retailers are very good at guilt tripping parents but the truth is that too many toys are bad for the kid. First of all, kids don’t learn to appreciate what they have. The average kid doesn’t need a dozen Barbie dolls for instance one or two will do. A cuddly toy to take to bed is useful but does the kid need a whole menagerie? There will usually be one favorite which will be adored anyway. Second of all, kids don’t learn the value of money or appreciate the sacrifices parents make to buy certain toys. The toy industry is big business and toys are expensive. Is it really wise to turn children into the victims of capitalism and the free market economy so early in life? Wouldn’t it be wiser to teach them values such as sharing, compassion, empathy and the like? Buying too many toys just to appease a guilty conscience might land parents with a spoilt brat with no concern for anyone but himself who makes continuous demands on parents. Once parents have started down that path, there is no going back.

To cut a long story short, toys certainly have an important place in people’s lives but the whole business of buying toys can be carried too far. Parents should focus on what is really good for the child and not on their feelings of guilt. They should remember the function toys are supposed to serve and spend accordingly. They would do better spending quality time with their children and making it count than buying another doll or truck.