Today I had lunch with Chris Byrne aka “The Toy Guy” from TimeToPlayMag.com while he was in St. Louis and we had a great conversation. We talked about new toys of course, but we also kept going back to when we were kids. Occasionally we started sounded like a couple of old fogies – but only briefly. What really was happening is that we were remembering all the wonderful times we had as children.
See that little "house" I'm holding - it was a very point metal "purse" and I did cut myself on it!
When I was a kid in the summer my mom would give us a glass jar (usually an old peanut butter or mayo jar) to run with in the yard and catch lightning bugs. Yes – we ran around the yard with a GLASS jar! Today as a mom myself I would never do that, but I am happy to have the memory still.
When I was a kid we got up in the morning and got on our bikes and were gone all day. The kids in our neighborhood moved around from location to location. We usually would get fed lunch where we were – a simple PB&J or bologna sandwich, some chips, some Kool-Aid. If we acted badly the parents, wherever we were, would scold us without thinking about being sued by our parents. At dinner time you would hear the parents all yelling for their own kids to come home.
When I was a kid we played games to win. If we lost, we tried harder to figure out the game and to win the next time. Our parents did not let us win either. We learned how to deal with losing, frustrations, and that sometimes other people were better at something than us.
When I was a kid we had some toys that were, quite frankly, dangerous. Things that got hot and melted parts – on purpose. Tons of choking hazards. Sharp objects. You name it. But you know what? Our parents didn’t sue the toy manufacturer’s. Stuff happened.
None of these things are to say that there haven’t been improvements that were needed in some regards, but the point is that sometimes it feels like today’s kids really do not have the freedom as much as we did or the ability to learn life lessons through play.
What is your “when I was a kid……” story to share?
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