Demographic Information of Interviewee
The adults we chose to interview was Avery's mother, a 37-year-old Persian Muslim woman. The interviews took place during one of Parker's RBT sessions with Avery.
Q&A with Mom
Do you think that there's any potential educational value in Squishmallows?
Avery uses them to understand the world around her and she's learned to use them as a coping tool as well.
How important do you think Squishmallows are to Avery?
She simply adores them and considers them her bestest friends. They're there for her whenever she's had a hard day, or when she wants to try out something she saw on TV.
How does Avery interact with Squishmallows at home?
She plays pretend with them, takes them grocery shopping; when she isn't playing with them she at least holds onto one. They're inseparable.
As a parent, what other purposes do you think Squishmallows have for children?
Helping them exercise their creativity and imagination, give them something to entertain themselves other than technology, teaching them how to care for others
Why do you think Avery prefers Squishmallows to other stuffed animals?
They're round, cute, and very soft to the touch, more so than other stuffed animals I've gotten for her. The other girls at her school like Squishmallows too, they like to show each other which ones they have and bond over that.
Summary of Interview
During the interview, Avery's mom expressed how based on how she's seen Avery play with Squishmallows, she supports her use of them and finds them a valuable toy beyond just an object of entertainment for her child. She notes how Avery often engages in imaginary play with her Squishmallows at home. Mom appreciates how Avery's attachment to the Squishmallows and seeing them as individual characters encourage her creativity through coming up with her own scripts and stories for them. Creativity is highly valued by Mom and seeing Avery create these fantastical story-lines is reassuring to her, since she worries over the surge of excessive technological use and media consumption depriving children the chance to express themselves creatively. We talked a lot about how Mom thinks having material toys to entertain children is much preferable over the use of technology since physical items have the advantage of being tangible and thus, able to be spatially manipulated. The development of sensory abilities and spatial awareness and stimulation which drives creativity and self-directed play were all considerations that Avery's Mom emphasized when speaking of the value of Squishmallows from her perspective as a parent.
Avery's play with Squishmallows extends outside of focused play-time and to making daily activities more engaging for herself. Avery insists on making her Squishmallows an active participant in every-day activities such as eating dinner, brushing her teeth, and going to the grocery store. Mom had to restrict her to carrying only one around, preferably one of the smaller ones from her collection. She notes that Avery must prefer Squishmallows over other stuffed animals due to their softness and round design, making them the perfect shape for holding and cuddling. Avery often cuddles with a Squishmallow to help her fall asleep or chooses to squeeze one whenever she is upset to help her calm down. She believes part of the reason must also be because of their popularity; Avery's first Squishmallow was a gift from her cousin who is a fan of them herself ever since she saw them on a Squishmallow collector's TikTok. Avery has also bonded with friends at school over Squishmallows.
Mom often observes Avery carrying the Squishmallow around and treating it like her own child, mirroring behaviors observed from her mother. In this aspect, Mom says that Squishmallows give Avery a way to practice her gender role and learn how to complete the tasks modeled to her which Mom believes is educationally significant. Mom has also seen Avery mirror other behaviors that she's seen from other sources than her mother. Avery has been found playing "doctor" with her Squishmallow, pretending to check for its heartbeat and telling it to "take it easy" on that broken tail. Mom also said this aspect of her play was significant in reinforcing information that she's discovered and allows her to partake in these make-believe situations to better understand different perspectives.
The interview was thought provoking and many of Mom's ideas referenced the discussions we had during classes. Although she did not explicitly use the technical terms to express these ideas during the interview, she showed great understanding and knowledge of children's play and development. Being a very engaged and involved mother, it was not surprising to find that she had detailed knowledge of the implications of how Avery played with the toys beyond just observed behavior. Mom seems to be very understanding of Avery's needs as a developing young child and about how important play is for children.