I’m having a serious “Old person yells at clouds” moment right now
Posted by maggie320@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 12 comments
I found a collection of Dic cartoon along with commercials on YouTube and the first set of commercials had a Federal Express toy set where you could deliver packages and thought that looked cool. Then I got thinking of how in those days we had these toys and our imaginations to keep up busy for hours. We didn’t get our first Nintendo until around 1991 and we certainly didn’t have the money for a computer. The most computer thing I played with was my neighbor’s Talking Alphie. Nowadays I wonder if some of these kids would even know what to do with the Playskool or Hasbro toys we grew up with.
I’m sure some of the parents here either are or have introduced their kids to the old types of toys we played with.
Rant off. I just miss some of those toys.
Flashy-Carpenter7760@reddit
My Gen Alpha son loves his LEGO bricks and long since moved on to make his own toys out of them. He's into history and making stuff he reads about.
In other words, nearly all kids still have an active imagination
elonmusktheturd22@reddit
I had an old hubcap, a metal pot with a hole in it, rocks, and sticks. I could throw a spear with deadly accuracy by the time i was 12.
Rural poverty and nothing else to do all day
freakbutters@reddit
I had an axe and a dump and a rock quarry. It sucks that according to statistics for my state. I'm middle class now, I can't afford the poverty of my parents.
Door_Number_Four@reddit
Ha, that was my thought.
FedEx guy didn’t come down our dirt road.
Tinyhulk27@reddit
Counter point.
We didn't have to introduce our kids to "old style toys" anymore than our parent's had to with us.
There's an entire industry built around shaping plastic into toys and merch to sell to kids to play with.
The reason you see more kids on phones "all the time" is because it's easier to let little Billy play angry birds ( in whatever public setting you observe them at) then to bring the 2 ft long Jake and the Neverland pirates boat and associated figures.
It's like how we played whatever tiger electronics game we had instead of shlupping Castle Greyskull into the Dr office waiting room.
My kids are mostly grown but...
One of the "frustrations" about having kids wasn't the "electronics taking over". It was buying a cheap piece of plastic for $100 that your kid "absolutely needed" knowing in a year or 2 it's going in the trash or you'd sell it for $4 at a garage sale.
I couldn't tell you happend to the hundreds of dollars of Frozen Elsa toys my daughter had...
...she let it go...
...but she still loves to invite dear old dad to play some COD with her on the game system she got for Christmas 5-6 year ago.
Kids toys requiring imagination ( and cheaply built/ way over priced) are alive and well. Go to your local Walmart or Target and check out the toy isles. They aren't there for decoration.
The kids are alright.
djsynrgy@reddit
In my limited experience, exposure, encouragement, and (pearl-clutch!) participation, go a long way towards preventing zombie offspring.
I mean, many among the Xennial cohort were left to rot in front of TVs as much as (or sometimes more than) they were encouraged to "stay out until the street lights came on." But those who experienced routine, direct, positive engagement with their folks, were far less inclined to use screens as a source of empathy and/or dopamine. 🤷🏼♂️
Melodic_Ad5650@reddit
We don’t let our kids play video games. They still watch plenty of tv. Tablets are only for road trips which are like twice a year. It can be done.
brokenman82@reddit
scifithighs@reddit
AND WE LIKED IT!
Significant-Rush-129@reddit
My kids have video games but still play with their Legos and draw, play music, etc. I actually feel like the video games keep their imaginations turned on more because they imagine the Minecraft or Mario scenarios even when not playing. Plus, who are we to judge? We stare at our phones all day and then wonder why kids want to look at screens for entertainment.
StatementLazy1797@reddit
My son has access to tv and video games, and he likes to watch a show or play Mario Kart for a little bit, but he’ll always come right back to playing with his toys and using his imagination.
His dad turned a cheap little scooter into his “delivery van”, he loves to deliver the packages every day. He pretends he “drives a truck” and tells me all the errands he’s running and houses he’s stopping at. He loves to build towers and forts out of pillows and cushions. He does the laundry in his washer every day. If I “get stuck under a rock” he’ll call the rescue team and come save me.
Now on the other hand, I have a daughter who wants nothing to do with anything besides sitting around watching tv. But there are still lots of kids enjoying the same way we used to play.
realauthormattjanak@reddit
Ignorance is bliss. Back when "the world is full of idiots" was just a saying and they didn't force themselves into your lives constantly.