Coffee – then adulting.

I should have been prepared for it. But I didn’t realize how the cleaning and reorganizing of the playroom would hit so hard.

I wanted to move my office there. Unfortunately, the size of my desk made it impossible. But I still took the opportunity to clean up foam gun darts and pick off dried Play-Doh from the carpet. I threw out random toy parts. They belong to an era that I now yearn for. (They also probably belong to a toy that will never be found.)

In between it all, there were feelings of nostalgia. But there were also feelings of sadness, regret, and anger. All related to the fact that screens have replaced so many traditional toys.

My son seems to be the only one to play with his toys when he’s with friends. Otherwise, his new playroom is his room or his sister’s room. Their laughter and enthusiasm about something that happened in their Roblox game is a welcoming sound. I should be happy about this bonding, and I am. But there’s a level of anger at society – and myself – for replacing the childhood I knew.

Will we ever get it back? Will we be happy to curse the jagged blocks left out on the carpet even if it kills our foot?

Will we be satisfied to pick dried clay off the carpet, even if our back pays the price?

Will we be glad to pick up the broken crayons and dried markers that were tools of spontaneous creativity?

I can dream of those days.

I read an article in The Atlantic, which really made me think about why play is being replaced with screens. Over time, it seems that a fear of “strangers” and things we can’t control have driven kids inside, perhaps unintentionally. I can totally see that. It’s unfortunate. I do feel good that society has had some influence. Not all blame is on us parents.

I suppose we all own a part of the blame for getting here. But it means we have to try even harder to get back, and I don’t know if we ever will. Fighting the lure of technology is like standing in front of ocean waves and letting them toss you again and again. It’s tiring and it hurts.

So if your playroom is still getting used, please don’t take it for granted. Because as much as it can get messy, it’s the kind of messy that we should all feel good about.