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Article by Nikki McPhetridge
When I sat down to write my children’s book, I didn’t want to just tell a story. I wanted to capture something bigger including the magic of imagination, the love of family, and the simple joy of making a wish.
In Maya’s Birthday Wish,
little Maya has a decision to make. She needs to decide what her birthday wish is going to be. Her imagination takes her through different possibilities, but in the end, she realizes that the best part of birthdays isn’t the cake or the presents, but the love and laughter shared with family.
In today’s world, there is a lot of emphasis on material things. In the story, Maya has a birthday party where the kids are running around, playing games, and enjoying being kids. We have gotten away from the basics. Kids are focused on tablets and devices, and social interaction has gone down the drain. We have mentally and socially handicapped our kids.
Since becoming a mother,
I have become more acutely aware of this shift. Kids are losing their imagination and creativity- and it has been happening for a very long time. We live in a society that does not necessarily promote and encourage creativity. Kids as well as adults are guilty of spending more time on their devices rather than playing outside, developing hobbies, spending time with nature, and being with family.
We need to nurture and encourage childhood and not be in such a hurry for the kids to grow up. My daughter loves to play! My husband and I encourage our daughter to play as much as her heart desires. It is not all fun and games. I will mix learning with playing and reading with writing. It gets a little tough because she wants to play nonstop, and I have to take breaks to do “adult things” such as cooking.
Through observation, personal research, and many conversations with parents, teachers, social workers, and mental health professionals, I’ve come to see that childhood is under attack. Childhood is already a short period of time, and in this digital age—with technology, social media, excessive screen time, and with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence—it’s getting even shorter.
So, what can we do as parents?
- The role of “the village.” We as parents, extended family, and friends need to do better. We need to spend more quality time with our families and loved ones.
- The proven effects. There are numerous articles and polls showing the negative effects of excessive screen time and social media among children and teenagers: anxiety, depression, and lack of social skills are all side effects of this growing dependency on devices.
- The AI dilemma. Artificial Intelligence is worrisome. Our children are already losing creativity, imagination, and social skills. With AI on the rise, critical thinking and social skills are about to be attacked next. With many kids already using AI to answer questions for school or in life, they are not using critical thinking to solve problems. Some studies even suggest kids will prefer to befriend an AI robot instead of an actual person. What does that mean for the future of humanity if our only connections are with machines?
- The call to action. All is not lost. We need to hold up a mirror, recognize the negative behavior, and make the changes. If we can learn to prioritize our family and close relationships, we would be much happier. My goal is to promote imagination, creativity, critical thinking, and family values through stories.
We need to reconnect with each other, enjoy and appreciate the small blessings in life. We have this fascination with collecting bigger and better things to keep up with the Joneses and portray a certain image on social media that our family structure and our children’s well-being are suffering.
My hope through Maya’s Birthday Wish (and through my role as a mother) is to encourage families to reconnect with each other, to find joy in small blessings, and to create lasting memories. Our obsession with “bigger and better” too often leaves family structure fractured and children struggling. As Theodore Roosevelt wisely said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
At the end of life,
none of us will be asking for more money, cars, or jewelry. We’ll be asking for our families. And that truth gives me hope that we can shift our priorities back where they belong—on love, laughter, and the magic of childhood.
Nikki McPhetridge is a debut children’s author and lifelong storyteller who believes in the power of play, imagination, and curiosity to shape meaningful childhood experiences. With warmth and creativity, she inspires kindness, adventure, and connection in young readers through her first book, Maya’s Birthday Wish.