Great research and linkage to toddlers. Same is true for adults. Creativity research shows that creating constraints rather than unbounded possibility leads to greater creativity and innovation. And the research on personal income
- that there’s a threshold over which (and not too high) where life satisfaction actually decreases - perhaps in the same domain.
This is thought provoking. I'm definitely in that camp of buying toys for my granddaughter at the slightest excuse and take to her home whereas at my house there are just less toys due to storage etc. so this and that and I just have more time to play with her means we do make up more games/play scenarios. I will rethink my habits. Thanks for this
Great article! I do some of my best reading in my car in the driveway after I get home….. I can finally focus. I like the idea of rotating toys for kids and just “less” overall…. thanks!
did this when my kids were young, to a point - when something new came in, something old went out. Of course, old toys were passed down to younger ones, so it wasn't a perfect arrangement cause younger ones couldn't "only" have passed down stuff. And gift giving holidays made it a bit difficult altho each did give some of their older items as donations. Most things I purchased were along the lines of books, creative/thought provoking ie art, blocks, playmobile, legos... Same w/ items for grandkids now. And they seem to have the same "rule" - something old goes out... I follow the same basic thing w/ my "stuff" - ie, new clothing in = old clothing out...
I don't live close to my grandkids - so who knows what I'd be doing if they were visiting my house regularly!!! Would definitely have more toys here!
I hope not. Lord knows those poor people don’t need any more impediments in getting food and water. Thankfully, the states are working with FEMA, the military and organizations like WCK. The Asheville-Hendersonville area is where I called home until last year. They are in horrible shape. It will take years to recover. I understand the losses will be running into the billions of dollars.
There are a lot of bad situations happening now between the Middle East, the dock workers strike and the damage left behind all over the south and southeast from the hurricane. I hope sanity prevails in November. Too many lives depend on it.
Biden said he'd stay out of it, but due to Helene I think he'll ----> Under the federal Taft-Hartley Act, presidents can intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period of sorts. During that time, workers have to show up and do their job while negotiations continue
after Katrina & Mauri, FEMA has been shown to be awful. And before anyone slams Bush's response to Katrina he was prevented from doing anything until the mayor of New Orleans & the governor of LA first declared an emergency. Because of the Constitution, the active duty military CAN NOT support a state's rescue efforts in ANY way until they are formally invited by the governor of that state. When a governor requests federal assistance, the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) office springs to life
hybrid sheep - seems ridiculous for hunting purposes, but on the other hand, all kinds of other animals are the result of hybrids, larger for eating, egg production, pets... the list could go on & on
I wonder if we older parents and grandparents have ever taken a moment to think about how our current society of "enabled children and young adults" got here? Science assures us that you can't create something from nothing. Enabled people were created. Could it be that it starts with spoiling your child? I'll never forget my now 37 year old son telling me when he was a teenager that his metric for "love" was how much someone did for him. I remember thinking, "Where in my raising of my son did I go so wrong!" I wish I could lay all the blame on society/media, etc... They do have serious culpability in the "enabled" mindset but we parents are supposed to be the first line of defense towards outside forces that would injure or skew our children's minds. I wish I could say I see, even on the horizon, a grass root effort to correct any and all efforts to "enable" our children but I don't see it. I'm afraid only a deep recession and/or a dark depression where many of life's luxuries are no longer available will reverse this trend.
This reminds me of a funny incident years ago when my boy was about four years old. I would tease him about the amount of toys he had, and told him that when I was kid all I had to play with was a stick and a rock. Well, one day he decided to ask my dad if that was so. Grandpa said no, that wasn’t true, he said that I also had a cardboard box…
makes me think of a friend who refused to buy toy guns for her sons. When they came to my house they wouldn't play w/ the squirt guns, etc, but would go out in the yard & play guns w/ the sticks 😁
One of my (many) sons could play for hours with a stick and a piece of string; another clearly longed for many of the toys he saw, but was always disappointed when he got one and discovered that it didn't meet his imagination. Neither son graduated from high school -- seemingly unable to pay attention or to play the school game. Eventually they settled down, one now on a career path in the army and the other an accountant. I'll let you guess which is which, but because every person is different I would not put a lot of stock in advice, except to say that if you don't rotate toys you'll be up to your knees in them. But that's your psychology, not your child's.
Guess it was lucky I didn't have much money when my kids were young. They didn't have a lot of toys, but I spent time with them, reading and playing. My parents didn't have a lot of money, either, so getting new crayons were a major event. We also had home made playdoh, tasted a lot better than the store bought stuff.
I understand the thought of unions, but I find it reprehensible that a small group of people can basically hold the rest of the country hostage because they didn't get their way. In Canada, we have had the railway workers and dock workers and airline pilots go on strike, and it takes weeks, if not months, to get the chain back in order.
Time is the most precious gift. Just spent a few days with our youngest grandkids (1.5 and 4). Just being with them was a treat. I spent hours just following the youngest one around the house and yard. She pulled one toy around for a bit but mostly she just walked, spun herself in circles and explored. What joy!
My dog has about a dozen toys but always gravitates/chooses predominantly the same 3-4 toys for tug of war or toss/fetch. And she is super smart, way smarter than I thought a dog could be. I have considered the rotation of them to somewhat force her to pick a different one.
Great research and linkage to toddlers. Same is true for adults. Creativity research shows that creating constraints rather than unbounded possibility leads to greater creativity and innovation. And the research on personal income
- that there’s a threshold over which (and not too high) where life satisfaction actually decreases - perhaps in the same domain.
This is thought provoking. I'm definitely in that camp of buying toys for my granddaughter at the slightest excuse and take to her home whereas at my house there are just less toys due to storage etc. so this and that and I just have more time to play with her means we do make up more games/play scenarios. I will rethink my habits. Thanks for this
Great article! I do some of my best reading in my car in the driveway after I get home….. I can finally focus. I like the idea of rotating toys for kids and just “less” overall…. thanks!
did this when my kids were young, to a point - when something new came in, something old went out. Of course, old toys were passed down to younger ones, so it wasn't a perfect arrangement cause younger ones couldn't "only" have passed down stuff. And gift giving holidays made it a bit difficult altho each did give some of their older items as donations. Most things I purchased were along the lines of books, creative/thought provoking ie art, blocks, playmobile, legos... Same w/ items for grandkids now. And they seem to have the same "rule" - something old goes out... I follow the same basic thing w/ my "stuff" - ie, new clothing in = old clothing out...
I don't live close to my grandkids - so who knows what I'd be doing if they were visiting my house regularly!!! Would definitely have more toys here!
2. If you’re a grandparent, helpfully remind your grown children constantly that they risk spoiling their kids if they give them too much.
Thank God you said you were kidding.
wonder if the strike will affect the recovery of destruction caused by Helene...
I hope not. Lord knows those poor people don’t need any more impediments in getting food and water. Thankfully, the states are working with FEMA, the military and organizations like WCK. The Asheville-Hendersonville area is where I called home until last year. They are in horrible shape. It will take years to recover. I understand the losses will be running into the billions of dollars.
There are a lot of bad situations happening now between the Middle East, the dock workers strike and the damage left behind all over the south and southeast from the hurricane. I hope sanity prevails in November. Too many lives depend on it.
Biden said he'd stay out of it, but due to Helene I think he'll ----> Under the federal Taft-Hartley Act, presidents can intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period of sorts. During that time, workers have to show up and do their job while negotiations continue
after Katrina & Mauri, FEMA has been shown to be awful. And before anyone slams Bush's response to Katrina he was prevented from doing anything until the mayor of New Orleans & the governor of LA first declared an emergency. Because of the Constitution, the active duty military CAN NOT support a state's rescue efforts in ANY way until they are formally invited by the governor of that state. When a governor requests federal assistance, the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) office springs to life
W/ Helene, each gov of each state acted swiftly.
Here's a link about a civilian working:
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FDAl8mr-PPsH%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_button_share_sheet&data=05%7C02%7C%7C5404a06a559f4fea7e4c08dce2ebaa6e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638634749030243108%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GPIX%2FicM2BRCV47Yu4C2WPtlln%2FoZeSma4bA8AgDS1E%3D&reserved=0
Katrina:
http://www.disastersrus.org/katrina/senatereport/KatCon.pdf
Everyday citizens were there. Many times being hampered by the government. FEMA commandeering supplies from others.
Port Union Agrees to Suspend Strike
The International Longshoremen’s Association received a new wage offer and will halt its walkout at East and Gulf Coast ports, which began Tuesday.
hybrid sheep - seems ridiculous for hunting purposes, but on the other hand, all kinds of other animals are the result of hybrids, larger for eating, egg production, pets... the list could go on & on
I wonder if we older parents and grandparents have ever taken a moment to think about how our current society of "enabled children and young adults" got here? Science assures us that you can't create something from nothing. Enabled people were created. Could it be that it starts with spoiling your child? I'll never forget my now 37 year old son telling me when he was a teenager that his metric for "love" was how much someone did for him. I remember thinking, "Where in my raising of my son did I go so wrong!" I wish I could lay all the blame on society/media, etc... They do have serious culpability in the "enabled" mindset but we parents are supposed to be the first line of defense towards outside forces that would injure or skew our children's minds. I wish I could say I see, even on the horizon, a grass root effort to correct any and all efforts to "enable" our children but I don't see it. I'm afraid only a deep recession and/or a dark depression where many of life's luxuries are no longer available will reverse this trend.
This reminds me of a funny incident years ago when my boy was about four years old. I would tease him about the amount of toys he had, and told him that when I was kid all I had to play with was a stick and a rock. Well, one day he decided to ask my dad if that was so. Grandpa said no, that wasn’t true, he said that I also had a cardboard box…
makes me think of a friend who refused to buy toy guns for her sons. When they came to my house they wouldn't play w/ the squirt guns, etc, but would go out in the yard & play guns w/ the sticks 😁
One of my (many) sons could play for hours with a stick and a piece of string; another clearly longed for many of the toys he saw, but was always disappointed when he got one and discovered that it didn't meet his imagination. Neither son graduated from high school -- seemingly unable to pay attention or to play the school game. Eventually they settled down, one now on a career path in the army and the other an accountant. I'll let you guess which is which, but because every person is different I would not put a lot of stock in advice, except to say that if you don't rotate toys you'll be up to your knees in them. But that's your psychology, not your child's.
Guess it was lucky I didn't have much money when my kids were young. They didn't have a lot of toys, but I spent time with them, reading and playing. My parents didn't have a lot of money, either, so getting new crayons were a major event. We also had home made playdoh, tasted a lot better than the store bought stuff.
I understand the thought of unions, but I find it reprehensible that a small group of people can basically hold the rest of the country hostage because they didn't get their way. In Canada, we have had the railway workers and dock workers and airline pilots go on strike, and it takes weeks, if not months, to get the chain back in order.
When kids are bored they unleash their creativity.
Time is the most precious gift. Just spent a few days with our youngest grandkids (1.5 and 4). Just being with them was a treat. I spent hours just following the youngest one around the house and yard. She pulled one toy around for a bit but mostly she just walked, spun herself in circles and explored. What joy!
My dog has about a dozen toys but always gravitates/chooses predominantly the same 3-4 toys for tug of war or toss/fetch. And she is super smart, way smarter than I thought a dog could be. I have considered the rotation of them to somewhat force her to pick a different one.
I've tried rotating toys, all that happened was I forgot about the ones that were put away...