Published August 26, 2007 in the Hibbing Daily Tribune
If you haven’t heard, your child’s toys might contain deadly toxins that could harm them or, worse yet, cause them to be average in every way.
Modern parents everywhere – fresh off their
outrage over
something outrageous that was on TV in June – return to high alert
after the
recent massive Mattel toy recall and the steady stream of product
recalls
coming from Chinese toy factories. Choking hazards and lead paint
abound.
Parents are hyper-tuned to danger these days, especially danger that
could come
from a seemingly benign toy shaped like Dora the Explorer. (“We trusted
you,
Dora. Why?!”) Awareness of potential dangers is good, but … well, I’m
just
going to say it. Calm down, everyone!
To be clear, as a parent I am for safe toys and against lead paint. (And I just don’t care who I offend by saying that!). Parents must be observant and involved in their child’s play time to make sure everything is OK with their toys. If there is a product recall, check the web site and follow the instructions. That said, we Americans sure are good at feigning shock and anger over a fairly predictable event. What? Decades of trade imbalance with China combined with our willingness to overlook China’s poor labor and quality standards led to shoddy toys for our children? I suppose you’d have us believe that the hostile invasion of a Middle Eastern country would create instability in the region! Ha-ha-ha. Now, excuse me. It’s time to go rack up consumer debt to improve the economy.
One notable toy recall included several wooden Thomas the Tank Engine trains, including James the red engine. (Parents of Thomas-loving children know that James is a “main shed” engine who plays an important part in the stories). Our 2-year-old son Henry is a big fan of the Thomas engines, so much so that I can name more of the trains than I can Shakespearian plays. So when it was first announced that many of the wooden trains made in China contained lead paint we received several calls from concerned friends and family members. “No, we don’t have the recalled trains. No, Henry is not exhibiting any signs of reduced cognitive abilities, nausea or abdominal pain.”
Lead painted toys in the 21st century seem outlandish, but it’s all an extension of our willingness to drive down the price of goods to the point where we don’t even want to know where they come from or how they’re made. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder if our society is just a little shrill in its warnings about the trains, dolls and other Chinese-made toys recalled over the summer.
My perspective on this is rather skewed. I grew up on a family-owned salvage yard that housed so many child hazards that a hypothetical state daycare inspector could simply have written the symbol for infinity on their violation chart. I probably should have drowned in a vat of used oil long before puberty. When I was 9 or 10 a friend and I were digging through the junkyard unsupervised. We collected some jagged rusty car parts that we thought looked really cool. I asked my uncle to weld four bolts onto a piece of an engine block to make legs for a metallic toy cat. We called it Kitty. At school, my confounded fourth grade teacher confiscated Kitty as a potentially dangerous weapon. It didn’t seem fair at the time, but if any of today’s kids tried to bring Kitty to school it would probably end up on the news. Point is: I’m not as freaked out over magnets that could possibly detach from toys when smashed with a hammer as other parents.
Truth is we should always keep a close eye on our kids and their toys. Our country and its industries should pay just as close attention to the quality of the goods we import. But as in all modern controversies we face, a little common sense can greatly reduce the drama.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune.