Toys of a Bygone Era

Some of  the toys of a bygone era are beginning to make a comeback, according to the latest poll. Traditional toys that were once the mainstay of our children’s early life:  Lego, wooden blocks, and Tinker toys, to name a few, are returning to take hold of a new generation.  Could  Twister, and the Computron  not be far behind?

Some  U.S. parents are beginning to question the wisdom of allowing their  children to immerse themselves, continually, in non-stop screen/monitor  time with the television, the computer or video/educational games. ...  (Now with the introduction of APP technology, there seems to be no reason to go outside to play, ever again!)

The child requires outdoor experiences to challenge both mind and body on a daily basis. Creativity is housed in the human mind. It unleashes its power when surrounded by nature, man and an inquisitive mind. The young human brain is plastic, changing at will, when exposed to forces intriguing to the child and beyond the child’s imagination and threshold for thought... The “One size fits all’- as in clothing-does not work with the developing brain. Everything has its place.

The Computron of the Sears catalogue of the 80’s was an incredible toy for our growing boys. The voice, in this small adaptation of a desktop computer, directed the action for the compendium of  'computer activities‘ that followed.  There were three levels of difficulty.  It was awesome family entertainment. You could match wits with the Computron,  or family members. ... This incredible toy, contained words, letters, numbers in different games with or without its own disks, and a range of mathematical functions, and musical notes and phrases to entertain and teach. The auditory portion, introducing musical notes in a melody or a sequence of notes, was the best training for  the early learning of music and math as it tapped into the child’s complex plastic brain. The Computron was a fun, relentless barrage on human thinking, if you wanted it to be. It was and is an awesome ‘toy’.  It tested the limits of early human thinking for  our boys.  I long for its return...Please, bring it back.

Unpainted and unvarnished pine blocks were the next great toy of that era. One set, then two  were purchased in order to have enough different shapes and sizes for the cities, bridges, towns and buildings, cars that would become a part of  our sons’ everyday work day. Housed in  stiff cardboard boxes these ‘building blocks of the brain’ created excitement, especially, when  questions were posed as to what  was being built, the purpose of the structure and what pieces  were being used and why. ... With blocks, there were no boundaries. It was a toy with limitless possibilities much like the child’s brain!  Lego was the bricks and mortar of building materials for children. Our oldest would look at the picture displayed and construct according to his imagination. We were usually at step #1-hoping to help him- when he was near completion of this newest masterpiece.

The Slinky was a metallic snake-like toy whose job was simply to move or fall down the staircase. It helped to illustrate, visually, the wonders of physics: speed, velocity, mass and gravity.  Would the Slinky move faster if placed closer to the top step before letting go? Could it be slowed down in some way?  Racing two together was intriguing as they seemed to have a mind of their own travelling down the stairs in synchronized fashion.

A change of pace is critical in the life of a child. Being totally immersed in the computer or its derivatives does not help build overall health in body and mind. Child’s play is not silly stuff. It is an important developmental component of the child’s everyday life and e-toys simply do not fill all the roles necessary to accommodate our children’s growth, development and overall health.  

Raising Boys in a Modern Society

Raising boys to be caring men is a societal imperative.  In households where there are no daughters, it is easy to allow our boys to think they are the main act in the world of men and women. We must strive to level the playing field, -in the absence of daughters in a family of boys- in all areas of a growing boy’s life. The emotional component of boys can, sometimes, get overlooked  as these high energy humans develop into men. But it is an integral part of the overall health of society.

In our haste to create a stronger female, another societal imperative, have we forgotten the critical balance of creating a gentler male and lauding his transformation into this healthy, masculine persona with female overtones? We must look at both sides of the equation for a balanced view in raising our children. Stronger females we encourage and praise.  What about gentler males?  We may overlook this critical component to their development thinking it is not that important.  I’ve always wondered how it must feel to be a male whose societal expectation was to be a man, a leader and the main provider of the family unit. Maybe, he would like a day off for a week or two while providing for his family.

(I have lived in a man’s world from birth. I have no sisters or daughters and a mother, long since deceased, who was not able to interact, very easily, with people.)  From the moment of his birth, the male child is expected to fulfill the dreams of many, one day.  In my day - growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, it was normal for the average female to finish high school, get married and become a stay-at- home mom.   I always wondered what it must have felt like to marry someone who simply wanted to be a mother.... Would her family be just as enamored with a future son-in-law, if all he ever wanted to be was  ‘just a father’?  Probably not.  Who would earn the money? 

I was the main wage earner in our marriage for nearly 7 years, the only one for two when my husband and I met - 42 years ago. Then the premature infants arrived.  I became a full time mom. (Caring for a Preemie/ Giving Birth-7/8/2012). Raising future men means allowing boys to feel- every step of the way-just as females are expected and allowed to do.  When we cry, it’s no big deal. It’s a societal norm. Men, on the other hand, are told at a very young age to toughen it out, not  to show emotion, to act like a man. For many boys, it is not O.K. over the course of their early years. (Women and men  both feel emotions just express them differently. ) ...  Headlines of horror and mass shootings over previous years were all committed by young males who seemed quiet and normal in the days leading up to the tragedies. ...In that regard, are we holding our boys to a different standard?...  

One day, many years ago, our teenage boys were exercising our dogs, one a young male; the other an aging,  greying black female with many lumps.. I asked one son where the female was ... “ I’m combing Pretty Thing,” he responded. ... Those words melted my heart then as it still does today. Are we isolating our boys today in a way that is much easier to do? The internet seems to be our greatest love. It can also make hermits out of all of us- if we let it.  (Social isolation is unhealthy and has been proven to affect physical as well as emotional health).

We must engage our little boys with little girls at a very early age. Music and dance is one way.(This is generally referred to as a party!). ... Today, women want and demand more. That is good.  But man’s gentle side must not be forgotten. It must  be nurtured from the beginning because it bestows  power upon society while it blesses  and strengthens all of us.  Mass/ serial killers started from something very small and innocent, once upon a time. If we want a truly just society, we must look at the total equation to make the world a safer place for all. ... Doing a better job of raising boys is a critical first step.

BPA Free, How Nice!

Plastic has invaded our lives in a most intimate way. ... The quality of this new ‘carbon footprint friendly’ compound is now being called into question as it plays havoc with our hormones and overall health.  ... Glass, it seems, is slowly becoming obsolete in  the grocery aisle....The origins of plastic are generally unknown to many of us. We take for granted that what we buy is generally safe for us and our families. Is plastic our modern age convenience riddled with dastardly consequences, a harbinger of things to come?

BPA free-(bisphenol)- is the catch all phrase of the plastics industry. It denotes that the plastic we are buying is free of this one chemical additive that is bad for our health.  It isn’t just any old plastic anymore. It is an upgrade, they infer, a far superior product, a safer one, albeit, still plastic. We need to take a closer look, however.   ... BPA is not the only chemical ingredient in plastic that is degrading our environment, our health and worse. There are other chemicals in the plastic 'water' bottles that we all seem to be using as part of our daily routine.  The water we drink from these containers is the body’s life force!  The problem:  there is no shortage of insipid ingredients in this new age product called plastic. ... I am not a chemist, biologist, neurologist, doctor, anthropologist, zoologist, entomologist, forensic scientist, or physicist. I am just an ordinary person,wondering, “is Tupperware O.K.?” ...  As I began to investigate the world of plastic, I was shocked at what I learned.

Each type of plastic-(#1-#7, are there more?)- has its own unique properties which govern(degrade?)  its responses to heat, acidic foods, beverages  and even water! ....Then there are  the 'industrial grade' and 'food grade' additives. (Do these terms become interchangeable and end up in the wrong places?)  Never!! Further on, there is the ‘leaching’ effect of plastic or the unleashing of toxic substances into our bodies while using these plastics in which water or food were processed. Things such as antimony, arsenic, lead are but a few of the horrible things mentioned as possibly being present and intruding into our bodies via the specific plastic in which they are confined. ... Surprisingly, just sitting on a shelf for prolonged periods in the summer heat can contribute to bottled water’s degradation.  The toxic soup is all around us. ... 

When mayonnaise first appeared in ‘plastic' jars I became concerned.  When I phoned one manufacturer the response was simple. The  large ‘carbon foot print’ the company was creating by using glass, a heavier material than plastic, was being replaced with the lighter, more environmentally friendly plastic!  (It’s odd that the price of mayonnaise is still the same while using plastic, the lighter and cheaper alternative). ... Is using politically correct jargon helping to mask the real motivation of profit margins and the bottom line for companies, perhaps?  While lauding companies for their ‘carbon footprint’ policy, and acting upon it, responsibly, my concern is  much more immediate. What about the ‘carbon footprint’ into our bodies(-especially those of very young children)-generated by the plastics, whose unknown properties are intruding into our bodies in sinister ways. Phrases such as,  “may leach”, “of unknown origin”, “may cause” does not bode well for the continued usage of  ‘food grade’ plastic in our lives. What about furniture, the way they are made and the ‘protective’ coatings on them? What about.....?

Our bodies , whose “Paleolithic” or  “Stone Age” design were not meant to ingest  these modern age foods tainted by plastics, are beginning to succumb to chronic illnesses, disease or worse. We are getting fatter and sicker. Why now? Glass and stainless steel have been around forever but their hidden costs to companies make for a compelling argument for using plastic. But what is the real cost to us, the public, the innocent, compliant users of  this modern age wonder called plastic?

  

Speech Therapy

Speech therapy was an integral part of our son’s life when he was four. ...  His early birth in 1979-(Giving Birth to a Preemie/ Caring for a Preemie- 7/8-2012) was, understandably, the root cause of his language delay. (His brain and body had lost out on much ‘in-class’ growth and development as he developed- outside the womb- in the third trimester. )... 

By the age of 3½, our son’s weak vocabulary and sequencing skills began to manifest concern with his nursery school teachers.   His overactive participation in life, however, was a far more accurate gauge of his development- for me.   Though his language delay was worth noting, and acted upon, he had survived his  ‘zero chance of survival’ birth. Arriving to this place- 4 years later, without serious complicated  health issues-had been his greatest ‘developmental’ achievement!   Speech therapy was a piece of cake!  ...  (Putting things in perspective makes sense-at any stage of life!)   

Our son’s enrollment in a socially driven, language rich environment-(nursery school)- would provide the extra stimulation, from which his brain and all the five senses resulting from it, would benefit....It was at the end of his first year in nursery school, attending two mornings a week, that speech therapy was strongly recommended by his teachers at his place of 'work and play'. ...    

Speech therapy was begun, once hearing tests ruled out any possible hearing loss. ...  Our son and I met with the therapist, monthly, for his language review.  The meeting would help determine the following month’s plan of action for language for him and me.  We were a team. (Active parental participation is crucial to the success of any child centered speech therapy program.)

The therapist is a trained professional whose job is to guide, assess and make recommendations for treatment. ...  She is not a magician, however. The magic comes from the due diligence that arises from working with your child on a daily basis, in every way, in meeting the language targets as set out by the therapist.    In our case, language therapy began as soon as our son woke up in the morning and began interacting with his younger brothers, the ‘junior’ therapists in his custom designed language program. ... (Life and Times of a Preemie- 8/2012)

Our son’s daily life did not change. What changed was my duty to him:  the writing down - as much as was physically possible to do - what our son spoke during his busy day in his interactions with others.  This monthly record of daily snippets of conversation would provide a clearer picture of our son’s emerging language for the therapist to be able to see and assess accurately, then advise the best possible course of action to follow. ...  A pattern would emerge. ...  The entries I recorded helped provide insights into the world of words he was speaking, how he was using them and the frequency of the ‘words’ being spoken. Recording these ‘words of conversation’, some of which were difficult to discern at times, was a challenge for me. Our son would speak quickly, in rapid fire fashion. Was I hearing accurately what he was saying?  Impartiality was not always easy as our son spoke with excitement, purpose and speed. ...  All  bits of paper, upon which his spoken words had been written,  were then gathered in chronological order and typed  in an easy to read chart format for both the therapist and me.  ... Nothing was left to chance. ... Nearly every random word or phrase spoken by our son was included in my notes, visual evidence of his developing intellect, his brain 'speaking' to him.  (The computer was not an option back then. Copies of my notes and charts were made using carbon paper the day before any appointment) ...

Though language modelling was always a daily priority, so was my daily writing ritual of our son's numerous spoken language interactions with both people and animals!. ... When our son graduated from the program- one year later- a sigh of relief was heard. ...  Kindergarten loomed on the horizon. He was ready. All of us had done our job!