Since the 2000s, American childhood has gone rapidly downhill; brain-numbing overstimulating brain rotting media has consumed the brains of young children. With the end of big backyards and the start of the internet and PlayStations, and passive, pre-built, packaged toys, (except for Legos.) For what it’s worth, kids are richer yet poorer in some ways. The main form of entertainment for kids in the late 20th century was these magical places called the hobby shops. Toy trains, plastic models that you would spend hours making that came in a range from tanks to corvettes, erector sets, balsa wood car and airplane models stuck with glue, slot cars, Revell and Monogram plastic cars, ship and airplane models, then RC cars, etc. all of this was based on physical activity, largely “doing it yourself” and taking some pride on what was built. It wasn’t instant gratification, it was something to really learn from and do and simultaneously enjoy.
Hobby shops and hobbies themselves have been dying off with the beginning of the digital age. It’s arguably a thing of the past, and only older generations were into it. The big chain “Hobby People, ” nostalgic for many 80s children, shut down in early 2017., which was a big part of the downfall of hobbies. It’s unfortunate to see stores like that close down after carrying generations of children’s hobbies and nostalgia on their backs. Not to be all prestigious, but as a kid, my dad would buy me plastic model kits every once in a while, specifically tanks and infantrymen. They were my favorite thing in the world, and still are. They not only kept me busy and quiet but also sparked a super deep interest in modern wars, I could tell you everything about WW2 and Vietnam and I give credit to my dad for it for giving me the basis to form that interest.
I genuinely believe that kids don’t care enough to build something themselves now when they can buy it off the shelf already made and start playing with it right when they get home. When they could pay the same price for something cooler that they get to make themselves and learn about. I’m not blaming anyone for anything but I have noticed that parents are too scared of choking hazards, and want quick fixes to their children’s boredom. Many parents would rather walk into a chain toy store and buy their kid something they will eventually get rid of and grow out of, rather than something that their kid can make with simple instructions and keep for a lifetime with a big head full of knowledge. I want to give my children the interesting childhood that I had. So if you are reading this please please please go to your local hobby shop and pick something up, it doesn’t matter if it’s for you or your kid cause many adults enjoy it. And many hobby shops are going out of business slowly. Buy Local, keep them in business, and get a new hobby so you do not have to scroll Instagram reels to feel satisfaction.
