Toys Children Like in Iraq
Here in our warm home in London, watching my son play with one new toy after another, I try to remember that we’re very fortunate to be living this life. In Iraq, there are bombs flying, people dying, and children enduring the tragedy of war. But being children, they still need toys. And in their case, it is truly a need.
Ahmed Ghazi who owns a shop in Fallujah says these are the most popular toys in Iraq:
- Guns
- Tanks
- Crying dolls (instead of dolls that dance, play music, or sing songs)
Children typically choose toys that help them act out what they see all around them similar to the way Steve’s children treat a baby doll as gently as the way he treats them. What a world these Iraqi children live in that they’d prefer toys of destruction and sadness.
NB: More of my recent thoughts about the war in Iraq.
Atlantic Free Press, December 26, 2006
Tags: toys, children, kids, iraq, war, iraqi war, sadness, parenting
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POSTED IN: Children's Toys, News and Links about Children's Things

3 opinions for Toys Children Like in Iraq
Carnival of Family Life - Bring on 2007 - Be A Good Dad
Jan 1, 2007 at 12:32 pm
[…] Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD presents Toys Children Like in Iraq posted at Play Library. […]
DigitalRich
Jan 1, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Truly sad, but I would imagine that those toys would rank pretty high for most kids- especially boys with the #1 and #2 items. If not those, than other toys that project power, conflict and dominance.
DigitalRich
Here via Carnival of Family Life
Hsien-Hsien Lei
Jan 2, 2007 at 8:44 pm
DigitalRich: Yeah, I know what you mean. Every child in every culture will fashion guns out of their fingers, LEGO, etc. But for these kids, it is especially sad that they probably have no other toys to dilute the influence.
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