As you may have read, I have blogged about the simple pleasure that Contagious LaughterTM children's lunchbox kits provide. However, I also had therapeutic benefits in mind, when developing these unique gifts. While not a registered drama therapist, I studied drama therapy and psychodrama, in social work school. I researched their use with the Borderline Personality population, who tend to experience an unstable sense of self. It was fascinating to read about how puppetry, mask work, role play, psychodrama and theatre games shed light on these patients' painfully confusing ideas about who they were.

With that work in mind, and because we want our children growing up with the healthiest sense of self possible, why not give the gift of self-discovery? No, our lunchbox kits for kids will not solve their problems or guarantee a strong, confident sense of self, but I do hope that they can prove useful tools in the growing up process. They simply provide a lighthearted means of self-expression, which every child needs. With the Box Office lunchbox kit, for example, finger puppets allow for that expression with some distance. A shy child can choose to inhabit a king, queen or wizard. With the advent of that bespectacled Brit and his thunderbolt scar, we all recognize the allure of the child-wizard. Similarly, a foam clown nose or jester hat could serve the same purpose as a mask, "protecting" the wearer, as she experiences different personas. Or more commonly, it will just make others laugh, a skill that is empowering beyond measure. Go put one on; you'll see.