So I wake up to hear Mattel is recalling more toys. Is anyone else getting completely sick of this? Part of me just wants to toss all the toys in the trash and start hand making or carving toys from wood. Ok all those who know me and how uncrafty I am, stop laughing now! But seriously, enough is enough. How does a CEO of a children's toy company that has been around forever and puts out newspaper ads that he is a father of four himself, not know that lead paint is being used in toys? Lead paint, come on people, it has been known for a very long time how dangerous lead paint can be, yet here it is on our kiddos toys, toys that both my boys have frequently put in their mouths.
It just baffling to me, but then I step back and think, geez, how did any of us even survive childhood? God knows what we put in our mouths, we probably all lived in homes with lead paint, we crawled around the backseats of our cars unrestrained, sat up front on our parents lap, hell my brother and I even rode on folding chairs in the back of my Pop's enclosed pick-up truck on the way to the campground in Lancaster! We were fed foods early on and not spaced out to make sure there were no allergies, no one spent 100's of extra dollars to buy organic foods, because nothing was overprocessed like it is now. We rode bikes and skated without full body armour, we could take off on our bikes or by foot for hours on end without fear of being abducted or attacked, we could explore and play all we wanted as long as we were in when the street lights came on! We could play flashlight tag througout the neighborhood and camp out at night in our yards or the woods behind our home without our parents.
Our days were carefree and free of fear and a big part of me is saddened that it is not the same way for our kids.
We already know we have to watch what our kids eat, read labels, buy the best and safest car seats which should be installed by "experts in the field", if our kids ride bikes or skate, they should be outfitted in helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards (it is amazing they can move at all!), we have to have parental blocks on our TV's, radios, cell phones, because stuff that was considered "adult content" and only on TV after 9 is now on all the time and is everywhere you look.Six year olds are dressing like 18 year olds, preschoolers have boyfriends and girlfriends, 4th graders are going steady (heck I was still playing with my barbies and didn't know Barbie and Ken could even be a couple at that point).We stress and worry over education and how quickly Johnny or Janey knows math, or can write at age 2 or speaks 3 languages and how we can keep up or be better than the Jones'. It is just crazy to me how this world has evolved, the technology and advances which has been beneficial in many aspects of our lives, I believe is also now taking away the innocence of childhood which makes me sad for my children. I hope we can figure out a way to keep our boys innocent and oblivious to so much of the bad stuff in their worlds, and just let them be kids, run, play, enjoy life without constant fear and worry.
I hope that we as adults and that corporations and the government, can get it together and say enough is enough. Hold people accountable for their actions or in this case, inaction. There is more to life than the almighty dollar.
I think we all have to stop and remember that.
1 comment:
Kris,
I couldn't agree more w/ your post. Things sure have changed since we were little. We did ride in teh car unrestrained, no helmets, no hand sanitizer, etc. Easy going living, work hard, have fun. Simpliar time. I wish it could go back in time. With our kids, we have very few of the modern toys. They enjoy the simple things just as much and gets tehm thinking. Today, they made bow and arrows out of sticks they found in the woods and string from teh garage. They love the outdoors and I want to keep it that way. When kids come over to visit(& usually there are from 9 to 12 here at any given time), they know the rules here. I think honestly, that's why so many o fthem come to this house. They can swim, play outside, swing on an old rope swing and eat popsicles afterwards. Whereas, I send them to a neighbors' house and they just sit in front of the TV w/ the videos. I've asked a couple of them why they come here. They say "it's fun here. There's more to do here." Funny, we have FAR LESS stuff, yet they say there's mroe to do. Just goes to prove you don't need a lot of "stuff' to have fun.
I do agree that kids need to stay young more. They tend to grow up way to fast nowadays. Scares me to death. I like our neighborhood though and now pretty much everyone. So we are lucky enough to be able to say come home when it gets dark and they do. Of course, we have quite a few cops in this neighborhood too so that helps.
Keep them young, innocent and have fun w/ them for as long as they'll let you. Best wishes.
Stephanie--mom to 7 special kiddos!!
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