Overstimulation

We wonder why our kids are so easily bored, but from infancy, they have so much to
occupy them that it's no wonder to me. From the baby play pads or gyms to walkers on which every inch is covered with something colorful that moves and/or makes a noise to Baby Einstein videos to Wee Sing CD's with 73 tracks for heaven's sakes. They even have the computerized refrigerator magnets that teach them their letters and numbers from the time they can crawl or even just sit up. It's a small wonder that they can't settle on any one thing by the time they get to school. They are literally over-stimulated visually, by hearing or by touch every minute of their waking lives.

When I think back to when my kids were little, there was a very little of this but I think it's tripled or quadrupled since then. You had your Sesame Street, The Electric Company and Mister Rogers (heaven forbid) and a few little people toys for them but there are numerous television programs now that target a 2 year old for instance; okay, maybe a very smart 2 year old but still there is a screen full to choose from in Comcast On Demand. When I think of how much time we spent playing with blankets, with clothes hampers, simply dancing to music or in the sprinkler in the backyard, I realize I need to keep that kind of low tech playing alive. Hopefully, it's not already too late.


Then there's the pioneer days when I was little and would have been kept occupied with some books, some rubber animals and some feathers or something like that. The main kid tv show was Captain Kangaroo and maybe some cartoons, but not for age 2. And of course, the person who invented DVD's hadn't even been born yet at that time so if my parents wanted me to see a movie, they had to take me to the drive-in movie which meant either I or my sister always spilled the Cragmont pop in the back seat and fought over the big paper bag of popcorn my mom had popped. Who knew what the movie was, I'm sure we fell asleep once we'd made as much mess as possible and probably laid in it. That's probably why they created cars with vinyl seats for so many years. There were no sippey cups that I can recall, it was the bright metal colored glasses or nothing. I always loved how the drink felt so cold in those cups. The newer version of those we bought a few years ago have already started to flake off the paint around the rim. But of course, that's probably because of the dishwasher, which didn't exist in the olden days either.

I wonder if anyone has discovered that any of the stuff they included in kids shows when I was a kid was harmful? Like the grandfather clock who talked or the bunny rabbit who didn't, the mouse who saved the day everyday wearing weird superman tights and cape. Even if they have, I only have fond memories of Mighty Mouse. My grandson likes him (and wants the poster I have to hang in his room, Mom) and has never even seen Captain Kangaroo. Some characters have universal appeal that transcends time.

I think the same thing was true of the "I Love Lucy" character. Even my girls when they were very little would sit and watch the old reruns and giggle out loud. That show may have been created for adults but there was so much slapstick it totally worked for kids too, almost like a 3 Stooges show. Funny is just funny, you know what I mean?

Anyway, I need to keep reminding myself to take my grandson back to the basics, so he isn't super dependent on electronic gadgetry by the time he goes to school. That seems to be much more typical (as in the case with many of my nieces and nephews) than not anymore.

Do any kids read books these days? It really is a miracle Harry Potter ever got off the ground. And now, what is the world coming to, Harry Potter in the nude on Broadway. Sigh. OK, not Harry Potter but the one we will all think of as him until he gets sufficiently older and loses that studious wizard look.

I'm committed to doing my part anyway.