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Sometimes I worry about my kids. Not for all the usual reasons that one might think, but simply that growing up in the post-digital revolution has its disadvantages, and is not all good. Most reading this are in the same unique position that I am. We have the advantage of knowing, embracing and using all the current technologies available today (let’s face it, we’ve all joked about how complicated our kids’ video games are today, but if we really wanted to we could sit down, take a pull from the honey bear and completely kick ass in Halo in no time if we wanted to), but we also have the benefit of remembering what things were like before the internet exploded. We remember rotary telephones, carbon paper, Brother typewriters and the U.S. Postal Service. And there are advantages to that. Take email for example. I have noticed that people in a corporate environment have begun to use email as a tool for avoidance, and are slowly forgetting the art of confrontation. Too many times I have received a scathing email from an individual in my office, with the entire legislative branch of the United States Government c.c.’d for maximum damage, only to confront that person face to face and find that they cannot even look me in the eye, and often back pedal out of their stance in a display of cubicle cowardice. Technology can take away bits and pieces of our humanity, and this worries me.
That’s why I have decided that my children, come rain or come shine, will not only know what the following 10 items are, but will love them. I do not care if their friends laugh and poke fun at them, or call me a fossil. Knowledge is power, and that works with the past as well as the present and future. Here we go:
Matt’s Kids’ Retro-10 Checklist
1. Chemistry Set. I haven’t seen a (real) chemistry set on a mainstream toy store shelf in over two decades. Probably because legal weasels got ahold of the companies that made them, waited for some kid to singe his hand on a Bunsen burner trying to see what burned sulfer smelled like, and sued them out of business. Stupid. I learned so much from my chemistry set that, even with the occasional “incident,” I still utilize a lot of that knowledge today.
2. Kick the Can. Pop quiz: How many hours a day did I sit in front of the TV and play Xbox when I was eight? Answer: None. Instead we played active, social childrens’ games like hide and seek and kick the can. Not only were they a blast, but we made new friends playing them and ran all….day….long. And, unlike Atari 2600, these games are still fun when you play them now.
3. Chess. OK. Granted, this is not so much a retro throwback and is still very much alive today, but I’d bet there are less kids playing it, even knowing how to play it now then when I was a kid. And in addition to sharpening a child’s ability to think strategically and apply logic, it allows them to spend a solid block of uninterrupted time with their father or mother, which is a very, very good thing.
4. EASY-BAKE Oven. No, not necessarily for Frankie, but for my son, Dominick, as well. Boys need to know how to cook, so they can get chicks in high school and keep them in marriage. The EASY-BAKE is still very much alive and well, and isn’t quite as gender-biased as it used to be. I LIKE the EASY-BAKE for both of them because it provides an actual reward for one’s efforts that can be shared with friends.
5. Big Wheels. I could be wrong on this one due to geographic limitations, so please correct me if I am. Here in Los Angeles, I haven’t seen a Big Wheel in over 15 years. This may be because there is so much traffic and a 45 minute car ride is required to play with one’s friends, but they are not here. If they have died out, I’m bringing them back. My Big Wheel provided me a tremendous amount of exercise and some of the best memories I ever had, even after the front wheel got old and got a flat spot on it.
6. Letters. I love paper. I buy really, really expensive thank you notes. It’s a vice and I actually think its kind of cool. After our recent trip home to visit my family, I wrote a whole mess of them to thank people for their hospitality and gifts. Not only was my hand killing me, but I made a ton of mistakes. I am forgetting how to write. And if I am forgetting, my kids aren’t even going to know how. Everything has a keyboard these days and, after a certain grade, they won’t ever pick up a pencil again. My kids? Are going to write letters. A lot.
7. Sockem Boppers. Pretty much faded away because they “promote unhealthy, aggression-based relationships between siblings.” But you know what REALLY promotes that type of relationship? My sister tearing up my ’58 Mickey Mantle All-Star card and then telling on me for stealing one of my mom’s valentine’s day chocolates. My sister and I would pop on the Sockem Boppers and go at it whenever we got mad at each other and had a lot of fun doing it. I see nothing wrong with it at all, and find it amusing that, in certain circles, grown adults pay $250.00/hr for this same type of therapy.
8. Shogun Warriors. OK, I don’t really think this is a great toy for my kids at all. I just wanted to talk about them because I had them and they were awesome and they were huge and Raydeen shot an iron-cutting fist and missiles across the kitchen at 80 miles per hour. Yeah, I was a little nerdy. Why do you ask?
9. Books. I have heard so many people over the last ten years, even people my own age and older say “I’m just not a reader.” Just so you know, when you speak that phrase to me, my mind automatically processes and translates it as “I big dummy.” I am ok, if my children read The Great Brain series and Harry Potter on a Kindle, I’m all about the environment. But, dad gummit, those kids will read.
10. Pizza Parlors. I will roam the earth until I find one. About once a month, my family would go out at night together, be it in the warmth of summer or the freezing snow, sit in Ken’s Pizza and enjoy ourselves some pie. There were little red glass candles, checkered table cloths, heavy dark wood and stained glass. It was about laughing, talking and connecting as a family, not about giant stuffed mice, germy rides and climbers, flashing lights and buzzers or tickets. These are some of my favorite memories when my family was all together, and I want my children to remember the same thing.
I believe all of the things I listed to be important (except for the Shogun Warrior, of course), but certainly have miles and miles more of things just like this. What are some of your favorite toys, games or activities from your childhood and, if you have children, do they enjoy these things too?
-Matt
November 12th, 2009 at 3:38 am
Remember the kids books you could listen to on tape while reading along in an actual book? The listener/reader was clued into turning the pages when a chime or some other sound was played from the tape recorder. These devices have been swirling into my mind recently. I definitely enjoyed them as a child.
I needed to comment on the brilliance of this line, “I have noticed that people in a corporate environment have begun to use email as a tool for avoidance, and are slowly forgetting the art of confrontation.” I hadn’t thought about this before but you are spot on.
Chuck´s last blog ..A little too much grace
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Matt Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:59 am
@Chuck, Thanks! And I absolutely remember those. Believe it or not, I think I actually had a couple on 45! Your comment also brought back the filmstrips we used to watch in school (they had the same chime).
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November 12th, 2009 at 6:08 am
You are older than I thought, Matt.
1. I can probably help you with that – my Hubby is a science teacher. In the biz, ya know? Remember, Frankie needs this as much as Dom in the same way that he needs to learn to cook.
2. Clean, without sharp edges, and recycled afterwards. You cannot create a complete time warp.
3. Stimulates brain growth even in old people like me, and less old people like you.
4. See my several linked posts on cooking in a box, middle column. Cooking is definitely a chick-magnet.
5. Check.
Gotta go do some income-earning work. Will try to come back later.
Don’t forget to just offer nothing for periods of time. Hide the MP3 and let the child think of something to do. I promise I won’t call the authorities.
Barbara´s last blog ..Other Attachments
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Matt Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:00 am
@Barbara, we do try to encourage that in Frankie, and it’s been working. She has actually taken to getting up and walking away from the TV to just go play made up games in her room. And that makes me proud.
And yes. I’m getting up there.
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Barbara Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
@Matt, She is smart like her parents.
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November 12th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Your argument is invalid, Matt. How DARE you speak lowly of the Atari 2600, Sir!
I am joking, of course.
We make our kids write thank you notes anytime someone gives them a gift (birthday/xmas) or, for example, the older lady next door brought our kids each a homemade cookie and they each wrote/drew a thank you card for her and took it to her the next day.
I grew up in the time just when computers were more accessible and popular than typewriters, but I do love the typewriter experience.
I was recently explaining to my daughter about those Read-A-Long books, that came with an accompanying cassette tape with the “BONG!” at the end of each page, signalling you to turn the page in the book. She looked at me like I just offended her lord and savior Nick Jonas.
I’ve purposefully held on to “relics” of my childhood which I’ll strategically bring out in the winter months to blow their minds away with things like my two huge bins of Legos, a Super Nintendo, REAL GI Joe action figures, etc.
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Matt Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:03 am
@Daniel, I DID feel slightly dirty when I dogged the 2600. But a few friends and I bought one on eBay with, like, 50 cartridges a couple of years back and couldn’t WAIT for it to arrive. It came and we all sat down for hours of game play. I have to say, it just wasn’t that fun any more. We were really disappointed.
Smart move….keeping all that stuff. Wish I had done more of that.
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Barbara Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
@Matt, and Daniel, I cannot tell you how many times my Hubby has waxed sentimentally on some childhood experience (including movies) only to re-visit them in adulthood in disappointment. Must be a guy thing. *hunches shoulders* And before you go regretting saving all your toys, see my top post.
Barbara´s last blog ..Other Attachments
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Barbara Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
@Daniel, We required thank you notes from our children, too. (Takes care of no. 6, Matt.)
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November 12th, 2009 at 9:52 am
The big wheels were great. We’d zoom along and skid to a stop until that big plastic wheel wore down in one spot and became essentially useless.
But you left out some classics:
The Daisy BB gun.
Sling shots.
A pocket knife.
Ed´s last blog ..Little Moments
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Matt Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:04 am
@Ed, you just uncovered one of my darkest and most embarrassing secrets. I never had a Daisy. Ever. I am a fraud and a husk of a man.
Totally forgot about the “skid handle.” Man, that was fun. Wish they made em for big kids like us!
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November 12th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I loved this post! Definitely brought back some memories and makes me wanna drag my kids outdoors for some good old fashioned fun!
Jen E @ mommablogsalot´s last blog ..“So now you don’t eat meat?”
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Matt Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:09 am
@Jen E @ mommablogsalot, I felt the same way after writing it! I think that I’m discovering that it’s just as important that WE continue to enjoy some of those things as well as our kids, you know? I’d totally play a round of kick the can right now.
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Barbara Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
@Jen E @ mommablogsalot, I agree with you Jen E. Matt offers some good parenting stuff. He and I ‘met’ here when I commented on his post about ….camping, wasn’t it, Matt.
Camping. Now’s there’s something developmentally appropriate for children!
Barbara´s last blog ..Other Attachments
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November 12th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
7. Just like toy guns – no need to provide. The child will imagine one with something else in hand. What home does not have pillows?
8. Sorry, my nerd-age is too far separated to recognize this toy. We DID give our children marshall arts – karate – which I highly recommend! Both my children are black belts.
9. Repeating myself here (I often do that), read my top post. The caveat is that book-loving children will do that over other important tasks. We are among the few who punished our children by taking away books.
10. The family meal – wherever – is key to the development of responsible adults. Excellent post, Matt. Per usual. Hugs to Aline, Frankie and Dom.
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