PLAY-DOH . . . Sometimes More Like Play-Don't!

In 1956, a wonderful creation was born: PLAY-DOH!  You can twist it, smash it, cut it, and roll it.  You can mold it into anything your imagination can fathom.  Yet, you can ball it back up and start all over again.  As long as you make sure to reseal the container, the fun never ends!

As a child, I could sit for hours experimenting with my PLAY-DOH.  My mom gave my younger brother and I a bag full of cookie cutters and other utensils to use to cut, slice, and texture our little projects.  Out of all of my childhood toys, I think this was my favorite.  In fact, I still enjoy PLAY-DOH today and have passed my love down to my own children.

Unfortunately, though, my children have caused a lot of mischief over the years with this wonderful modeling compound!  They have gotten it stuck in our family dog’s fur.  They have shoved it in their noses and ears.  I have found it hardened in the carpeting and inside of toys.  They have even eaten it a time or two.  (My daughter, almost 5, still insists that blue PLAY-DOH tastes the best!)

I have walked into PLAY-DOH “food” fights. I have found it stuffed into the floppy disk drive of my old computer.  I have found PLAY-DOH “CD's” inside the CD player of my stereo.  I even have had to plunge dried PLAY-DOH out of the bathtub drain.  Yes, it has been one wild adventure with my son and daughter!

I often wonder if perhaps I was guilty of some of the same PLAY-DOH disasters when I was young.  For the life of me, though, all I see in my mind’s eye is a sweet girl, tranquilly playing at the table.  Knowing the curious and rambunctious child I was, I know better!  I can almost guarantee that I, too, left lots of PLAY-DOH “surprises” for my own parents.

Now that my children are a little older and I a lot wiser, PLAY-DOH time has become a wonderful family activity.  All of the compound stays well out of reach until it is time to play.  I have also learned to watch for the warning signs (i.e., when my daughter starts licking it, it means trouble!).  Now, I can sit back and enjoy watching my children’s creativity take shape, as well as join in the fun myself.  Ultimately, I have to conclude that life wouldn’t be nearly as fun or as interesting without this ingenious invention!