Since moving back to the US I have been listening to Q-tip recite commercials and his wants because of commercials. To say the least, it's driving me crazy. Even items that may not be directly related to children are catching his attention. Over the past 8 years I must admit that there were a few times I missed commercials for their entertainment value but I am now choking on those words.
I think there are some great suggestions in this video. I actually had an in depth conversation with Q-tip on how products are sold just for someone to make money. Purchasing everything you see or think you want is not logical. When you have a dollar and you spend it on a toy instead of food that means you have a cheap toy but you will still be hungry. You must make logical decisions that are not only instantly gratifying but long term.
I think taking TV out of the picture during the week, as REENblack does, would be a great start in limiting my children’s exposure to commercials. Continuing our conversation and explanation of why we spend money, how we spend money and saving money is also extremely important. How do you feel about and deal with consumerism?
Until you brought this up, I thought about it, but not in depth like you have...and I certainly didn't think about all the things the video's mentioned!
ReplyDeleteI'd say about 80% of the tv my kids watch are movies. Just because I can't stand whats on tv. The shows and the commercials! The other 20% is usually morning cartoons if they get ready for school with more than 10 minutes to spare (although I limit it to no more than 10-15 minutes...and it only happens 1-3 times a week), or some game/discovery/Planet Green/etc show that we might watch in the evening for about 30 min. And this doesn't happen every day either.
We've talked a lot in the last year and a half about why there are commercials for things that I tell them they can't have. They see things, but don't tend to care much most of the time. They want things, but we rarely buy them anything besides xmas and birthdays...and I think they don't expect much in general.
I dunno, I probably didn't need to tell you all that...you pretty much know how I feel about it all!
On the rough days thatI want to go out shopping I will watch this video. It is crazy how Americans have become. There is no value on things we have. Doing the slow year has not been hard yet...You should do it! Goodness, it has to be hard on the land of everything!
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