parenting
High-Tech Chanukah?
40
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Time to Nay with us.
Time to Shop with us.
Forget the hassle of crowded mall shopping this holiday season. It's time to
enjoy shopping in the charming and relaxed setting of downtown Northville.
As you head to the many unique stores in town, you will feel right at home
as local merchants welcome you with excellent customer service, extended
holiday hours and a wide array of gift options - perfect for everyone
on your list. When you finish shopping, stay in town and enjoy
dinner in one of Northville's many exquisite restaurants.
For information on downtown shops, dining - including extended
holiday hours, and events visit us at www.downtownnorthville.com
Save the Date! January 2:
Join Downtown Northville and 93.9 The River
during First Friday Art Walk
downtown
Clothing and Accessories provided by:
Alexander's of Northville 124 W. Main Street, B. Ella Bridal 120 N. Center
Street, Tuscan Café 150 N. Center, Urban Blues 114 W. Main Street
Dining Location: NOMI 133 W. Main Suite 201
Hair and Makeup provided by: Utopia Salon & Spa 170 E. Main Street
© 2008 Downtown Northville
Photography: Diane Johnson Design: New Moon
Holiday
Treasure
Discovered in Oakland County
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one-of-a-kincl pieces can
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Estate Buyers
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33700 Woodward Ave. • Between H- Mile S. Lincoln • 15irmin
248.614.8565 • www.abbottscorp.com
B30 •
DECEMBER 2008 •
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Don't forget the old-fashioned toys that
stimulate imagination.
Have you noticed something unsettling about your kids'
Chanukah wish lists this year? Might it be that the latest
crop of hot holiday "toys" — cell phones, iPods, MacBook
computers — are not really toys at all?
If you really concentrate, you might remember the
first time you bumped into the grown-up toy craze. As an
expectant parent, you'd just used your funky portable gift
SHARON DUKE
registry scanner to add those cute teddy bear crib sheets to
ESTROFF
the list when you decided to take a casual stroll through the
newborn toy section.
There you noticed something that looked suspiciously like a laptop comput-
er. Upon closer inspection, you realized that — by gosh — it was a laptop com-
puter! Only the keys had cows and sheep on them instead of letters. Suddenly
panicked that your unborn child was about to get behind the eight ball before
he was even the size of an eight ball, you ended up registering not only for the
"My First Laptop" but also for the "Electronic Alphabet Ball" and the "I Can
Learn French Before I Get My First Tooth Palm Pilot.".
It's not that there's anything blatantly offensive about baby electronic toys
— except the high cost and the possibility of future game addictions — it's just
that they replace good old-fashioned non-electronic, non-flashing, non-singing,
non-instantly gratifying toys, like wooden blocks.
Lincoln Logs, toy cars and dolls are not just charming shelf-warmers on the
"retro" aisle of Toys R Us, they are essential springboards to learning about the
way the world works. They are vehicles of exploration and experimentation and
props with which to practice being mommies, daddies, firefighters and school-
teachers.
Childhood is a learning process by design, and traditional toys are a central
part of the curriculum. As these core elements disappear, experts worry about
the long-term repercussions for 21st-century kids. Current research warns of
stifled imaginations, poor interpersonal skills and a digital divide down eco-
nomic lines; only time will tell the full impact.
In the meantime, we can do our part to ensure that childhood and high-tech
toys peacefully co-exist by employing the following suggestions for keeping
imagination alive:
• Make time for imagination. When a child's day is booked solid with orga-
nized activities, creativity gets put on the back burner.
• Have battery-free times. Load up on old-fashioned toys like blocks, dolls,
puppets and, of course, cardboard boxes.
• Give gentle nudges. While younger children are likely to dive into the world
of imagination, older children may need more encouragement.
• Have older kids help younger kids play. By asking your 10-year-old to help
his 5-year-old brother build a rocket out of wooden blocks, you allow your
big kid to save face while doing something he really enjoys but for which he
considers himself too old.
• It's all in the wording. My kids balked at my suggestion to build a city out of
trillions of Legos; but when I called it a "Survivor Challenge," they couldn't
wait to get started.
• Accept the mess.
• Pick worthwhile electronic toys and games that encourage growth.
■
Sharon Duke Estroff is the Atlanta-based author of "Can I Have a Cell Phone for
Hanukkah?"