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Heartwings Love Notes 962 - Teddy Bears don't break.

Heartwings say, "Old fashioned toys may last longer and be more fun long term."

As I've said before, my favorite toy was my old teddy bear. My other stuffed animals were beloved as well, and all attended parties together in my little domain called my room. Another special Item was my doll house. I delighted in making furnishings for it, and later setting it up with the small dolls I acquired as gifts. Something else I truly enjoyed was a set of old building blocks that had belonged to my father. With them I could build castles and houses and all sorts of towers.

My playthings would seem so simple compared with what is available to a child today. I marvel at the toys I see ads for, with all their different mechanical attributes and fancy add-ons. The good thing about the simplicity of my toys was the way they stimulated my imagination. My dolls did not walk or talk. They did drink and wet, though not at the beginning of my childhood, when they had cloth, not rubber bodies. The dolls available now are so lifelike the children who play with them don't have to imagine they are real.

However, electronic toys need batteries or else to be plugged in. They break or get drowned all too easily. Most stimulate the mind, yet not the imagination, at least as the way simpler toys do. If they don't fall apart or stop working, they are soon outdated. Teddy bears don't go out of fashion. They have a warm and cuddly nature and their ears can hold the secrets of a child without anyone else ever being the wiser.

It seems to me that the children of today may be missing out on an essential aspect of childhood, one that can only truly be developed then: the use of the imagination to create wonderful stories and scenes, as well as whatever worlds of fun and fantasy they can conjure up. When the toy does everything for the child, what is left for the child to do? The toy may be entertaining, even teach something, yet does it truly stimulate the child's creative growth or give the child the gift of expanding their capabilities to build new worlds of their own to inhabit. I hope every child has that opportunity and uses it.

May you find toys to enjoy playing with, even as an adult.

PS Do you have an opinion about the new kinds of toys versus the older ones? How do you feel? I would love to hear what you think. Please write to me at tashahal@aol.com or tashahal@gmail.com, For more Love Notes, please visit my web pages at www.heartwingsandfriends.com
 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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