Memories in the Making!

I have long been one that thinks people are forgetting their past.  Technology has taken over not only our lives but that of our children.  There is no more "playtime" that involves homemade toys and spur-of-the-moment games.  Where did the simple time of childhood go?  The commercialization of the play world is what has happened!  Now, there is an over abundance of playthings in the world!  Just look at the toy stores.  Gone are the small shops with one-of-a-kind pull toys, socks of marbles and hobby horses.  Our children are bombarded with too much too soon.  Their naturally creative minds are cluttered with ads for thousands upon thousands of toys and games that require no imagination whatsoever.  It is saddening to think that the future holds no spontaneous free play where imaginations and creativity are allowed to flow unchecked. Back in the day, more oft than not, playtime was sprinkled with homemade toys.  Ragdolls made from old clothes or socks, whistles carved from twigs and kites glued together from cane and old newspapers with fluttering tails made from old rags could be found in most yards.  Get together a bunch of kids and there was always the acting out of some book or tall tale.  Why even summer performances of the "circus" would be staged in backyard "arenas".  Parents and grandparents would sit in the audience and cheer on each act!  Parades of bikes, wagons and decorated pets streamed around the driveways and most every yard had a tree house!

This evening, I brought a bag of homemade Lemon Spritz Cookies down the lane to my brother's house.  As we stood talking at his front door, I noticed some sticks poking out of a bucket.  When I picked it up, I realized that it was a homemade toy bow and arrow set.  The memories of good times back on the farm started to creep into my brain.  I asked about the set and he told me that his granddaughter was reading about Robin Hood.  She asked about the bow and arrow that Robin Hood used and he made the comment that as a kid, he used to make his own toy bow and arrows.  Well, that piqued her interest and soon this Papa and his little granddaughter were out cutting branches for her very own set.  He showed her how to find the straightest branches...ones that were green so they would be flexible.  Then he helped her tie the string taut so the bow would shoot.  After completing the set, he taught her how to place the arrow and pull back to shoot the weapon.  Her reaction?  Pure bliss!  She had created her own form of entertainment with the help of Papa.  From the reading of the book to the shooting of the bow and arrow, she learned a very important lesson.  Not only that fun could be created with natural things but that someone actually cared enough to spend time with her.  I know for a fact that this little girl has far more toys than will ever be needed but I can also guarantee that this little bow and arrow will be remembered far longer than most of the expensive things that fill her toy box and line the shelves of her room. Yes, it was just a twig and a piece of string..but it was also a piece of togetherness..of sharing..of learning..of love.  Education is not always book-learning..love is not always just a hug..and sometimes the two can be one and the same.  The time spent between the Papa and the little granddaughter is time well spent...priceless!  A homemade bow and arrow set..memories in the making!