Watch that doll!
Three year old Mercy cuddled and stroked her doll on a Saturday morning. It was her habit to dress the doll every morning before serving it ‘breakfast.’ This morning was different from other days; Mercy wasn’t tender towards her doll. She dressed it roughly and communicated in a no-nonsense to
By Jamesa Wagwau
Three year old Mercy cuddled and stroked her doll on a Saturday morning. It was her habit to dress the doll every morning before serving it ‘breakfast.’ This morning was different from other days; Mercy wasn’t tender towards her doll. She dressed it roughly and communicated in a no-nonsense tone.
“If you don’t, eat you will see me,†Mercy threatened the doll as she stirred what looked like porridge.
“Nywa obuji, nja kukuba, musiru gwe, nywa obuji (take porridge or I’ll beat you, you fool, take porridge),†Mercy shouted, while knocking the doll’s head with a stick. Mercy’s mother watched in shock as her daughter grappled with the doll to take ‘breakfast’. What intrigued her most was the foul language her daughter had used against the doll. She had never seen Mercy in such a mood. Her investigation later revealed that Mercy’s game was a reflection of what the house maid was doing to her in the mother’s absence. Mercy had learnt both the behaviour and language from the housemaid and was using it against her doll.
How does your child interact with play materials like doll or toys? Those games might look childish, but they are pregnant with meaning. If you want to catch a glimpse of your child’s emotional world, watch them at play.
Garry Landreth, a child therapist in Play Therapy: The Art of Relationship, notes that toys and dolls are essential tools of communication to a child just like words are to an adult. ‘Children express themselves through play than they do verbally because they are not as rich in verbal vocabulary,’ writes Landreth.
Deborah Ojiambo, a child counsellor and lecturer at Kyambogo University describes play as “the language that helps children to come to terms with their emotions.†Ojiambo adds that a child who has been emotionally or physically abused might not have the words to express what happened, but can put it across through play.
What are the danger signs?
-Any violence that a child shows towards the doll or toy shouldn’t be taken lightly. Find out the roots of this violence. (Games of shooting using toy guns, especially among boys, might be an indication of too much TV influence.)
- Listen to the words your child uses to communicate with the doll or other children. Children who are abused verbally are likely to use the same language in their interaction with dolls or toys.
And remember, play is an experience no child should miss. This is because to a child, play is learning and learning is playing!
Three year old Mercy cuddled and stroked her doll on a Saturday morning. It was her habit to dress the doll every morning before serving it ‘breakfast.’ This morning was different from other days; Mercy wasn’t tender towards her doll. She dressed it roughly and communicated in a no-nonsense tone.
“If you don’t, eat you will see me,†Mercy threatened the doll as she stirred what looked like porridge.
“Nywa obuji, nja kukuba, musiru gwe, nywa obuji (take porridge or I’ll beat you, you fool, take porridge),†Mercy shouted, while knocking the doll’s head with a stick. Mercy’s mother watched in shock as her daughter grappled with the doll to take ‘breakfast’. What intrigued her most was the foul language her daughter had used against the doll. She had never seen Mercy in such a mood. Her investigation later revealed that Mercy’s game was a reflection of what the house maid was doing to her in the mother’s absence. Mercy had learnt both the behaviour and language from the housemaid and was using it against her doll.
How does your child interact with play materials like doll or toys? Those games might look childish, but they are pregnant with meaning. If you want to catch a glimpse of your child’s emotional world, watch them at play.
Garry Landreth, a child therapist in Play Therapy: The Art of Relationship, notes that toys and dolls are essential tools of communication to a child just like words are to an adult. ‘Children express themselves through play than they do verbally because they are not as rich in verbal vocabulary,’ writes Landreth.
Deborah Ojiambo, a child counsellor and lecturer at Kyambogo University describes play as “the language that helps children to come to terms with their emotions.†Ojiambo adds that a child who has been emotionally or physically abused might not have the words to express what happened, but can put it across through play.
What are the danger signs?
-Any violence that a child shows towards the doll or toy shouldn’t be taken lightly. Find out the roots of this violence. (Games of shooting using toy guns, especially among boys, might be an indication of too much TV influence.)
- Listen to the words your child uses to communicate with the doll or other children. Children who are abused verbally are likely to use the same language in their interaction with dolls or toys.
And remember, play is an experience no child should miss. This is because to a child, play is learning and learning is playing!