During my childhood, especially on my birthday eve, I remember
how desperately I would be waiting for my parents to return home. The moment
they stepped in, I would eagerly run and grab their bags, looking for something
special. In one such instance, to my surprise, I found a cute little puppy
doll. I used to talk with it, dance with it, play with it, and even fight with
it. I sometimes imagine a scenario where we try to save the world from an evil
doctor, which is obviously my parents’ hard-earned pillows, which ends up
getting beaten by us. Thus, the world is saved!
My shelves were always filled with toys of different
kinds. They gave me happiness, company, made me creative, and taught me how to derive
joy from even little things. But in today’s world, we are witnessing the
digitalization of toys, replacing them with one flashy box–the smart phone. So,
this has instigated a question in me–are toys becoming a relic of the past?
Once upon a time, Remote cars, Superhero action
figures, Barbie dolls, Power-rangers face masks, and LEGO building sets were
dominating the shelves of the kids. They not only captured the playroom, but
also the imagination of every child playing. Every toy had a story behind its
arrival in our homes. The childish desire, endless fasting, those raining tears
reflecting an adamant resolve, yet ready to comply with any parental
conditionalities, all those endeavours just to get one new toy. However, in
reality, such sweet battles were fought every time for another new toy.
Besides that, playing together with our friends and
sharing their toys was like a Marvel-DC crossover of universes. And further, the
eventual growth of envy towards our friend’s toy would start a new battle with
our parents, which would usually be met with benevolent repression. So, we used
to make add-ons to our existing toys to make it look superior. Costless
competition through creativity was the norm back then.
But today, all such experiences are slowly fading. The
easy availability of videos has civilized the kids, making the hard-fought wars
for toys barbaric. The stubborn tears are being dried by the mobile’s bright
blue lights. Endless fasting is now replaced by suppressed hunger due to the immersion
into the screens. Parental conditionalities now turn into phone passwords that
could be solved more easily than a zeroth-level Sudoku puzzle. Those children
who were supposed to script their own dramas with their toys, are now losing
their imagination to a pre-recorded animated video, played endlessly by that
flashy box. The shelves and rooms are increasingly becoming empty, and so is
the child’s childliness.
While screens have brought in equality, accessibility,
and simplicity, one cannot deny how they are slowly depriving the kids of the
joy of first touch, the ecstasy of accomplishment, and the filament of
imagination associated with toys. In fact, science supports the positive impact
of toys on child development. Toys not only drive emotional and social growth,
but also build a child’s cognitive and motor skills. Many doctors even recommend
physical toys like fidget spinners for stress and anxiety relief, especially
for people with ADHD and autism.
Today, mobile phone games have containerized
creativity and universalized its access. However, it cannot replace the original
imagination ignited by a physical toy. Parents may feel that it is inexpensive
and convenient to feed their kids by showing an animated video, but they must
be aware of the physical and mental costs that their children might pay later. While
using a smart phone has become essential, if not inevitable, that cannot be a
valid reason to confine a child’s childhood to a recorded reality. So, the solution
is not to abandon it, but to acquire a balance between the animated entertainment
and active experience.
Therefore, the question is not whether toys are still
relevant. But whether are we willing to hand them to our next generation or
not? Are we going to let the toys that once made us capture the world through
imagination, vanish? Definitely an interesting question to ponder upon!
