Barbies, Legos, army men, marbles, GI Joe, tinker toys, paper dolls…. a few of the items which are talked about when reliving the past. The imagination that went into play time was simply amazing. Lining up army men only to be mowed down by a rolling marble… Barbie dating a man in uniform–GI Joe…. building the best Lego house… decorating a shoebox for the paper dolls to live in. We didn’t have much, but we had a lot. Escape into the imaginary worlds was easy and I would fall into them longing to be free of the troubles, fighting, and worries. These worlds became a safe haven and the way to ignore the sad and sometimes scary world around me.
I fear the lack of imagination of today’s toys will not give an escape route for the young people who may live in the same type of conditions in which I grew up. While social media can provide a distraction, it can also be a hideout for predators looking for troubled souls. I want to protect them all. I want to help and feel helpless. I want to cry and the tears won’t come. May God bless the troubled young ones…
Me 2.0 