by Rebecca Weinstein

Created on: February 07, 2009

Today it is hard to separate children from technology when their entire worlds revolve around it. From game consoles to handhelds, computers and online games, our children's lives are full of technology. It's hard for some to remember a time of toys without all the bells and whistles, but I can. It may have been a mere two decades ago that I played with toys that had no blinking lights, no sounds, and no USB cord for the computer, but I remember it well. Some of my favorite toys survived the test of time and are still around today, and yet some of the toys I played with myself were throwbacks to my parents' childhoods.

Although we did have a prehistoric gaming system, Intellivision, we were much more interested in our traditional toys. How many afternoons did I make My Little Pony tumble down the slide in the backyard, steal my brother's G.I. Joe to marry Barbie, or desperately attempt to write something legible on an Etch-a-Sketch? I had a toy McDonald's that you could put the tray of food through a slot to deliver to the drive-thru. Frequently I would "borrow" my brother's Star Wars figures and have my own adventures with the rebels and Ewoks. I had a play kitchen with all the pots and pans that matched my mother's in the kitchen.

Snoopy Sno Cone Maker was a favorite diversion in the summer, as was playing a game of War in the shade on the cool cement steps. I dressed up with costume jewelry, built castles with wooden blocks, and played school with my little sister. As throwbacks to our parents' childhoods we had cap guns, Barbie, and ViewMaster. We even had a few board games including strange ones such as the Sinking of the Titanic Game, and Broadside: the War of 1812 Game.

When not playing with the toys mentioned above, there were times that I would invent toys out of other things. I recall using my father's hand drill in the backyard, imagining, trying to drill my way to gold, adventure, or China in the dirt. He didn't appreciate that inventive use of his tools very much. With all the electronic toys in today's society, I wonder if the power of imagination has been lost on many of our children. I know they can use their imaginations, but with the fantastic worlds created by electronics, why would they want to?

I wonder if, when my daughter is an adult, she recall her electronic toys with such fond memories as I have my traditional toys? Or will all the electronics become a blur in her mind? Will any of her electronic toys stand the test of time like My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, or Barbie? For all of these questions, only time will tell.

Learn more about this author, Rebecca Weinstein.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.