Warning: You May Be Stunting Your Childs Development

Well, I dont know about you but when I found this informational sticker I was at first very concerned...and then found myself screaming Amen by the end!

Some think that I am nuts but I like to do things like watch QVC in my spare time and listen to the John Tesh radio program when ever I am in the car. Go ahead and laugh...but I learn many things from those two programs! Right now I want to talk about the later.
I was driving home from a photo session and had Mr. Tesh on, of course, and I was very intrigued about a book he was reading from called Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)
. In it he read a part where the author was talking about the hormone testosterone. Apparently, one of the uses for the hormone is to enhance the brain's ability to problem solve. Now, this is why men are more naturally gifted at taking things apart and putting them back together. So, Gever Tully suggests to allow your children to have at old appliances and such to strengthen these connections in the brain. For example, before you junk and old dishwasher or electric mixer, supervise them while they tare them to pieces and then encourage them to see if they can make them work again.
Now, I personally, think that this is true and fabulous! My son has lots of 20 year old toys that I had when I was a child. He also had old plastic containers and metal juice can lids that he bangs together and then puts inside the containers. All of his 'toys' reside within a cardboard box that he frequently climbs inside and loves to be pulled or pushed around as if it were a car. And I am sure most children have a drawer in the kitchen where they get to pull out bowls, measuring cups, muffin tins, hand mixers and beaters and those are the things that they spend the most time with.
I think that is great! I know that there are tons of really cute and fun looking toys out there that promise to educate your child but I just think, why would I give my son a plastic set of rainbow colored keys and expect him to be able to help me when I say "Mommy needs help finding her keys". Unless, I spray painted my silver colored keys bright colors and made them 3 times their actual size...I am pretty sure that he is going to have a hard time finding them.

This one I think is SOOOOO FLIPPING TRUE! Did you read that last line!?!?!! "Studies have shown that these toys...produce uniformly under performing children who later become credit card abusers" !?!? I know several of these people!

Now, I am not saying that no one should ever go buy a cute and fun looking toy for their child. I do think there are lots of good toys that teach a child well. However, I think that we as a society and we as S@HMs need to think more about what we are giving our kids and allow them to have the very best in development. Even if it comes by way of playing with an old dishwasher.