Fidget spinners are the latest toy sensation
Asmall device has infiltrated our quiet abode. The children begged and bargained. They conspired to prove their worth, to earn their reward. I conceded and with our local search to no avail, I was persuaded to order online (It’s on Amazon, they assured me) and within days it arrived.
The fidgawhat? The fidgajibit, the fidget spinner. All colors and styles. With lights and spikes, in red and blue, buy one or buy two? Oh no, what have I done?
They’re actually pretty cool and if you don’t spend the majority of your time around schoolage children, you might not know Campos what they are.
According to Wikipedia, “A fidget spinner is a type of stress-relieving toy. A basic fidget spinner consists of a bearing in the center of a design made from any of a variety of materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper and plastic. The toy has been advertised as helping people who have trouble focusing or fidgeting (such as those with ADHD, autism, or anxiety) by acting as a release mechanism for nervous energy or stress.”
If that is indeed its start, it sure isn’t in practice as such today.
My kids pocket the palmsized device to take everywhere they go. While they somehow remember to grab it while running out the door before, let’s say, their homework, it does keep them busy in the car or in line at the store. It doesn’t make a sound and it doesn’t require the children to run around. It’s a pretty clever, simple toy with which to entertain.
I was surprised to find this toy — its reach already into the small, country school my children attend — has spread its notoriety around the world. An article from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency popped into my feed recently entitled, “Fidget spinners declared kosher for Shabbat.” According to the article rabbis declared the use of the toy permissible as long as the device is without lights.
Even more interesting, the story states, “The inventor of the ubiquitous stress-reducing toy said she came up with the idea during a trip to Israel in the 1980s, during the first intifada, as a way to distract the ‘young boys throwing rocks at police officers.’”
That could be an interesting conversation starter for my children, who have yet to learn the details of some of their Jewish heritage and what ultimately ties them to the land of Israel, more than just a small toy in high demand.
For now, I’ll let them enjoy their spinner, their version of the Garbage Pail Kids trading card or Hypercolor t-shirt. I’ll let them spin to their hearts’ content … until the next fad comes along and the fidget spinner finds its rest in the drawers with remnants of their youth.