This is why I stopped playing Neopets (hahaha I’m old) years ago. I hated that they introduced clothing and paying for things. It used to be an amazing game and place to be creative then it became just about money and corporate. So sad.
But I agree. Kids need to be kids again. I grew up mid 80-90’s and my fondest memories are of playing outside, swimming, fishing riding bikes, going to friends houses to play. I will always remember playing “babysitters club” with my best friend and her older sister (who was always the Mom) and we still to this day all still laugh about this. Or the time we decided it was amazing fun to take our sleeping bags and ride down the stairs in them and we ended up putting a hole in the basement wall.
Kids need to be able to do things and learn by doing and not by being placed into bubble wrap and protected from everything. I look at some of my friends who constantly clean and disinfect their kids and don’t let them play at the park because it’s dirty and I think “how the heck did I live this long?” I literally grew up playing in mud, dirty, lakes, rivers/streams, fishing catching frogs... I don’t get it but I guess that officially makes me old.