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Child's Play: Let's Get Back To The Basics

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 10, 2007

Remember when your children went outside to play in the yard, or in a neighbor's, or at the local playground, and that meant fun?

How about children going on a bike ride or roller skating, and that meant fun? And don't forget children playing hopscotch, jump rope and double dutch, creating tall towers with Mom or Grandma's Tupperware or making funny creations with building blocks and Legos.

Remember?

Then we became impregnated with innovation/convenience/expedience - giving birth to a better way of life, a faster way of doing things, with computers; wireless phones; high-speed Internet; CDs, DVDs and corresponding players; and digital cameras, elaborate video games and electronic toys for ages 0-99.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against progress and change. But have we spent too much time and energy in birthing the next fad, the next innovation, and forgotten the consequences?

Read the newspapers. Listen to the news stations. "Mattel recalls Chinese-made toys." "Toys found to have dangerous levels of lead and tiny magnets." "Aqua Dots toy beads recalled. Contains a substance that turns into the "date-rape" drug when ingested." Popular character toys loved by children, recalled due to lead."

It's the holiday season, and with it comes the shopping season, when parents, grandparents and others search, lose sleep and endure long lines to get that special toy for their children or grandchildren.

But they do so cautiously. Consumer watchdog groups are announcing lists of dangerous toys for our children, and toys are being recalled.

What's a parent to do? In our quest to grant our children's wishes, have we moved away from the basics? Have we allowed marketers, cartoons, movies, etc., to lure us into a trance where we march into toy retailers like programmed robots to purchase that special toy and, after relishing over our accomplishment of snagging the last one, learn that it's on the "most dangerous toy list" or worse - recalled?

Or maybe we as voters shirked our responsibilities to keep our government accountable to ensure appropriate policies are in place to protect our children from lead and other dangerous substances and to penalize toy manufacturers who produce inappropriate and dangerous toys. After all, our children are the future - a future we must protect!

So, let's call for stricter standards for toy manufacturers, stronger safeguards on imports and support for consumer watchdog groups that advocate safety for our children. And let's get back to the basics - physical activities.

Alice Delgardo, who lives in Holiday and has a master's degree in education, has three children and four grandchildren.

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