Best toys require imagination (11/15/04)

I spent last Sunday pushing a little red wagon up and down the sidewalk in front of my mother’s house. I tipped it over once but that was because the eight-year-old driver turned too sharply. He tumbled out onto the sidewalk then quickly bounced up and claimed not to be hurt. There wasn’t any blood that I could see so when my brother accused me of damaging his kid we both stuck our tongues out at him. The uninjured child laughed and climbed back into the wagon and we zigzagged down the sidewalk.

Not one of the three youngsters playing with the wagon could steer straight. Of course, I didn’t do much better when it was my turn to ride. My brother took his turn pushing while I gasped for air. It was a good way to spend a sunny afternoon and an excellent way to unwind after a hectic week at work. If I did that every week I’d be at least 10 pounds lighter and it wouldn’t take me so long to catch my breath.

These kids have all the modern video games and such. They have the baggy pants, the closely cropped hair and the pudginess that comes with being a kid today. They could be anybody’s child from the looks of them.

I have watched them and all three are deadly serious when they play with their Game Boys, action figures, cars and other toys. Not a single child cracks a smile, not even when they beat me at 500 rum or checkers. I get the distinct feeling that they think I’m an idiot because I don’t know that the end of the plastic dinosaur’s tail can be used as a projectile or that its head opens up so a tiny plastic man can fit inside.

That is not the case when they are outside playing with the wagon. We are all equal when we play with the wagon. Every child and most of the adults laugh and yell and generally have loads of fun. They take turns riding and pushing without being told to take turns. Even my mother comes outside to enjoy the spectacle.

I tell you all this because the shopping season is almost here. Even though we have trained our children to want whatever toy they see advertised on television it is often the simplest things that hold their attention. Think about it, the whole business of play is about fantasy. If a doll or action figure or whatever leaves nothing to the imagination then that toy will be quickly discarded. How many times can Elmo do the chicken dance before he ends up in the bottom of the toy box?

A teddy bear that does absolutely nothing can become whatever the child wants it to be and will be treasured long after the toy that does everything lies broken and forgotten under the bed.

Children need to be able to fit in with their peers so they must have a certain number of the latest gadgets. They will endure no end of teasing if they are playing with marbles and jacks to the exclusion of video games or skateboards. We need to allow them to interact with other children and make their own rules without constant reminders from us to adhere to the preset regulations of the game. They need to work out their own system of taking turns without our interference. They need to be able to cheat and get caught. Sometimes they just need an excuse to run up and down the sidewalk pushing their aunt in a little red wagon.

So in a few weeks when your eyes glaze over from wandering the toy aisles and you have experienced sticker shock at the prices, mosey over to the display of little red wagons. Go ahead and purchase the latest must-have item but don’t forget to buy at least one toy that does absolutely nothing except let a kid pretend he or she is whatever he or she wants to be.[[In-content Ad]]