Such Safe Christmas Gifts! Blech
It's shopping season, but Christmas sure has changed
Jan and I saw this while we were out shopping recently.
Wow. Just wow. But I have to say that I’m not really surprised.
When I see small children in the ER these days, they are almost universally consoled by an electronic device. A couple of weeks ago I saw a toddler watching a video on a tablet while he simultaneously played a game on an iPhone.
I suppose all of this makes it easier for mom or dad to endlessly check their own phones.
The toy above, however, takes it to a new level. It does dual duty. The child planted on a stationary bike can burn some calories and also look at whatever mindless show or game is playing on the tablet; the tablet holder is conveniently placed in front of them on the bike (you can see it advertised on the box).
I suppose that rather than experience the dangers of sunburn or melanoma, frostbite or anything else, kiddos can bike through whatever wonders they desire by watching a video of nature. Doubtless some program is available online to accompany the “bike.”
Most magnificent of all, the child can stay in place allowing parents or babysitters more uninterrupted hours of streaming movies or playing their own games.
Now as member of the end of the Boomer generation, let me say that toys sure have changed. Our toys were things that got us out of our parents’ sight, and often ensured that we would find concrete or asphalt on which to play.
Thank goodness, they still make the Big Wheel.
Bicycles, skateboards and other such are still out there. Toys like these back in the day were meant to be ridden to the limit, spun around, rolled, jumped off of ramps, and other such activities often leading up to casts and visits to the dentist.
My children are adults. I’m out of touch. But it seems from advertising that electronics increasingly rule the day.
In my old neighborhood we wanted bicycles, skateboards, athletic equipment, BB guns, pocket knives, machetes, slingshots and other such potentially dangerous or deadly items.
Dad bought me my first shotgun at around age 12. It was a beautiful affair, a Winchester single barreled 20 gauge with a shining gold trigger. I still have it.
I know, I know danger, etc. Full disclosure, my children had a trampoline and there are other physicians who would say that I deserve a reprimand. I’m a bad boy. But it was AWESOME.
There’s something to be said for those times. Our toys were things that launched us into adventure. They made us desire more freedom, not less. They made us stronger, faster, more able to problem solve than those tragic toys that do all the work through the power of a computer processor. They were also things that inspired learning and doing with eyes, ears and hands.
I loved Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, TinkerToys, toy soldier play-sets. All of them made me think, and imagine and create.
Those were the days when chemistry sets were a little dangerous. (These days it’s all “add vinegar to baking soda and watch the fun!”)
Ok so they might have over-reached in the glorious 50s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_U-238_Atomic_Energy_Laboratoryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_U-238_Atomic_Energy_Laboratory
And I know Clackers were dangerous. I never had a pair. But watching them fly up and down at ever greater speed was a thing of wonder. Until they shattered or caused a head injury, of course.
(Apparently in some parts of the world they’re still a thing, albeit with safer components! I thought they were banned by the Geneva Convention.)
I could go on and on about the wonder of the toys I have loved. But I’d prefer to close with the idea that motion and challenge are incredibly good for us. One of my favorite things about the work I do is that I walk all day long. I’m tired at the end, and my feet and knees hurt because I’m 60 and I like donuts. But I’m always moving.
Children deserve the same. They deserve yards and playgrounds, sidewalks and creeks, trails and woods or even a stand of trees in which to go ape-crazy for a few hours every day.
They don’t need to be planted on a stationary bike with a tablet. And especially if it’s just to make things easier for parents.
I saw that kiddie stationary bike too, recently, and my heart just sank. A friend said I was being overly critical and pointed out how kids like to mimic their parent’s actions. I understand that and it makes me want to go for a walk outside even more.
You are truly showing your age. Next thing you will tell us you drank water from a garden hose, ran barefoot, and camped outside sleeping beneath the stars. Such recollections will lead to stories about sleepovers, hide and go seek excursions in the cemetery, and toilet papering (T-P’ing) someone’s home. Ah, those were the days. Dreaming instead of texting. Imagining rather than tick tocking. Earning instead of receiving. In-person friendships rather digital. I could go on and on. Time will tell if our early life experiences produced different outcomes from today’s early life experiences. Likely my parents complained about how easy I had it by not growing up poor, not being an unwanted immigrant, not being persecuted for our religious faith, and being able to play Pong. Life is interesting. Think of our early medical care without ultrasound, CT and MRI scans, droperidol, and ketamine. Hard to imagine. I’m going to go outside now with a roll of toilet paper and see what damage I can do. Happy holidays.