My Invisible Kids

A response to: Cameron. L (2006.) Play held hostage by the 'bully' excellence. Touchstone 36th Annual Conference Proceedings: Council of Drama and Dance in Education, 6-10

I really enjoyed Cameron's article and the passion she clearly exudes as she questions the selection and appeal of toys from the new millennia. Though there are so many points to extract and dissect from Cameron's piece, I am choosing to focus on Cameron's question posed in Part Two of her article: "Are there toys that might elicit storying? Problem solving?...Fantasy?" (8).

Cameron firsts asks this question in response to the lack of toys that would lead to the type of play "might facilitate imagination" (ibid). In her article she speaks of toys that either gravitate toward a specific gender or expectation or even a pre-described way to play with that toy. Cameron seems to be yearning for play with toys that are, by lack of a better term, neutral. Toys that can be manipulated in no one way. Toys without pages of instructions. Toys that mustn’t only be played with by girls or by boys. Toys that conjure creativity, drama, and risk.

Reflecting on the toys I played with when I was young, I chose a different path than my friends. In fact, my mother- a Barbie collector- saved all her Barbie's for me (her first child) to play with and I refused them all. I hated that Barbie's couldn't move. They could not come to life the way I wanted. And even though I loved playing with fake food and fake household items, I would spend my time setting up grocery stores and model homes only to welcome my true playmates, my invisible kids. My role with the invisible kids grew as I grew. First my invisible kids were simply my friends. When my mom had my sister when I was nearly four, I grew to more of a role model for my invisible kids now that I had a sister to take care of as well. The more I took dance lessons the more I became the invisible kid's dance teacher. In primary school, I hired an invisible nurse for my invisible orphanage so my invisible kids would be cared for while I was in school and while I slept. I do not really remember when I stopped playing with my invisible kids. I only hope they never felt abandoned.

For me, toys just didn't cut it. Perhaps it is my love of control and teaching at an early age. Or perhaps not. Whatever the reason toys were only props in my imaginary world. I can understand Cameron's frustrations with toys today because I was never satisfied with toys from twenty years ago...and reading the article I can only assume the restrictions on toys are more numerous and larger in scope than they were when I was a child. To Cameron, I invite her to join my invisible world. It's probably a lot more fun.