Who’s Calling the Shots? How to Respond Effectively to Children’s Fascination with War Play and War Toys by Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Diane E. Levin. Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 1990. xv+188 pages. $14.95.
How often do you feel squeezed between your child’s desire for the latest toy and toy retailers’ manipulative marketing? Are you confused about how to handle your child’s fascination with guns, killing, toys that promote aggression, and violent TV? Do you have an urge to nip it in the bud or turn a blind eye? Or do you try to control your child’s thoughts? These are live questions for many parents because a whole host of media are now available in our homes with the flick of a switch.
Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Diane Levin are assistant professors of education from Lesley and Wheelock Colleges in the Boston area. They have had an interest in young children’s moral and political development since the early 1980’s. In an effort to respond to growing parent and teacher concerns about children’s war play, they set about dialoguing with hundreds of parents and teachers, analyzing the impact of toy marketing, studying the impact of children’s television viewing, and observing children at play. Their double conclusion helps to orient parents and teachers to the problem and promises to calm anxieties by placing more control in the hands of children and the adults who care for them. And what is that conclusion?
First, play of all kinds is critical for the healthy development of children because it helps them make sense of their own experiences. In fact, play is the principle way of learning for young children. War play also serves a constructive purpose through helping children work out their anger and compensate for their feelings of powerlessness in a world of grown-ups. The message for us? Calm down and see the constructive side of this kind of play.
Second, however, their research shows that children are increasingly out of control of their own play, with toy manufacturer’s and TV’s stifling control of children’s imagination and creative instincts. This amounts to a direct attack on the effectiveness of play. Paige and Levin argue that children need to be in control of their play, and that the combination of pressures that make this problem so potent are conspiring to rob children of that all-important element of control. The message for us? We need to battle this destructive influence in our children’s lives.
They do not leave us in the lurch at this point, but present a well thought out proposal for helping children regain control of their play, including war play. Their ingenious combination of strategies crucially involves parents and teachers, who must function as resources for children, helping them to deploy a range of practical counter-measures. The suggestions include strategies for supporting and encouraging play, imparting values, resources for dramatic play, the building of props (including war props!) or other toys, and appropriate books for children—all to the purpose of helping kids regain control of their play without having to shun contact with all forms of mass media.
Dramatic changes in our society have adversely affected the social climate and imaginations of our children. The book drives home the encouraging message that we are not helpless in the face of these daunting challenges. That makes it a good starting point for examining your own values about war play and its ramifications for your children.