Maybe It's True? I Am A Green Meanie

[Eamonn]

Came across a copy of U.S. News and world report. The cover had President Bush and John Kerry and in the corner was a smaller headline : Why Kid Consumers Rule.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=5&u=/usnews/2004908/ts_usnews/kidpower

I like to think that I am a very fair a giving Dad. Her That Must Be Obeyed and Number One Son, tell me that I'm cheap. I inform them that I'm not cheap I am just frugal.

As Number One Son is the only child we have people expect him to be spoiled. I am still working on that one. I firmly believe that holding, kissing, playing, talking and spending time with a child is something that can't be over done. Of course as they get older and bigger some things get harder and you have to pick your spot in order not to cause too much embarrassment to the child. None of this is in my book spoiling a child.

When he was a little fellow I enjoyed bath time, bedtime stories and all that good stuff as much as he did, maybe more.

We have friends that have kids that are a little older then he is and when their son grew out of clothes they would pass them down to us and he would wear them till he out grew them and then if they were any good we would pass them on down to friends that have younger boys. We didn't do this because we couldn't afford clothes, we did it because it was good sense.

TV has never been that very important in our house. I think that I watch more than anyone else. I am not a TV snob. But I only watch what I like. When all the sitcoms ended last year I didn't feel bad. I can put my hand on my heart and say that I had never watched a single episode. I stopped watching sitcoms when that Fat Lady was a "Must See" I turned it on and the story was about the young son masturbating. I didn't find it funny and thought that if this is what prime time has come too? I don't have any use for it. Her That Must Be Obeyed, likes TV Land. For a good many years OJ's favorite shows were I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke show.

I can't remember how old he was when he finally got a TV in his bed room. I do know that he was a teenager.

We did buy the Nintendo and after we were unable to find a new control for it we bought the Super Nintendo. Both of these were Christmas presents.

When all his pals started getting X-Box and Play Station. We didn't mainly because he didn't use the Nintendo that much. Two Christmas's ago I did buy him a lap top computer. I thought that it would work out cheaper in the long run then buy a Play Station and all the games. We have a wireless network in the house so he can do his home work and I'M his friends as well as play games. He used it a lot when he was the Brotherhood Chairman in the OA. He still takes it to some OA Board meetings, but I don't know how much he uses it. When there was free music sites he did down load a lot of music. Some of which was full of swear words. So I deleted it.

He is aware of brand names. He finds the shoes that he wants on the net. I refuse to pay more then $40.00 for shoes. So far he has never gone over this limit. I might be worse then he is. I like Timberland Shoes and Columbia clothes.

He does have a cell phone the sort with a prepaid card he buys his own cards and $20.00 seems to last him about six weeks.

Some of our friends did buy their children cars when they reached 16. We got him his driving permit and informed him that if he was going to drive any of our cars he would come up with the money to pay for the insurance.

He has a job at MacDonald's. He has to pay half of all his Scouting trips if there isn't enough money in his Scout account. The most expensive clothes that he owns are his Scout uniforms.

We live in the country, so we do need to chauffeur him to where he needs to be. We do not allow him to travel in cars with youth drivers.

While I enjoy kids who act like kids, manners are very important in our house, as is respect. We are the adults and he is the child. We don't ask for any input from him when we are buying a new car or other big items.

He never stops eating and other than eggs which he can't eat he eats anything and everything. I don't do the grocery shopping. We do eat real food stuff that you have to cook. So other then chocolate milk and yogurt his opinion is not asked.

When he comes home with some new idea,I have to admit to asking "How much is this going to cost me?"

Maybe in some peoples homes kid consumers do rule, but it is never going to be the rule in our home.

[cubbingcarol]

I agree! Some people in this day and time are too concerned about giving their children all their own choices. Hello?! They are children, not small adults. I keep telling my oldest DD (16) that until she moves out on her own it's mine and my husband's way or no way. End of story.

 

Carol

[FScouter]

Eamonn, the world needs more green meanies of the type you describe. Keep up the good work.

[johndaigler]

Hey, Eamonn -- (Not a complaint - just a question...) How did YOU spin a new thread off MY post (Achievement v. Participation - you know cricket girl . . .)??? Also, are you saying there's some connection between the two threads?? Not sure I see it clearly . . .

 

Anyway, the Kid Consumer thing is such big news now for a couple of reasons. Over the last couple of decades, cool cars, houses and other "man toys" have gotten so expensive (and nobody has time to enjoy them anymore, anyway ...) that people (mostly men, since they're still the power and economic center of this country's universe...) have switched to trophy wives and children. Not that they're less expensive, just easier to finance over time, and easier to impress the neighbors with!! Keeping up with the Jones's now often means flashing cool toys for your kids, etc. Some "adults" see their ability to spoil their children as a public show of love and proof of their abilities as a provider and parent. Turning them into "little" adults means not having to deal with childhood problems and helps rationalize excessive economic support as "quality parenting". It means not even having to think about what to buy them, since we've turned them into Franken-children who can tell us what's "COOLEST" and required for their continued existance. Money, apparently equals Time.

 

I don't mean to condemn all of us for what is seen as the "typical" American family situation, and saying it here is like preaching to the choir, I know. I'm just reacting to Eamonn's post and speaking to (about) many of the families that we don't typically reach. . .

 

What's frightening to me is our society's continued demonstration (and glorification) of adults' failure to accept responsibility for their children - or for themselves. The US has a child obesity crisis, and whose fault is it? Those terrible companies that sell cheeseburgers and sugary cereal. Kids smoke, and kids drink and drive. Whose fault is it? Tobacco and Beer companies. Watch, there will me monumental change in the way American companies do business, but American parents won't change, so the problem won't be fixed.

 

10-20 years ago it was somebody else's fault that our children watched bad TV. So manufacturers and marketers of children's food, clothing, toys and other products helped fund a children's TV Renaissance. You can argue that kids TV isn't great, but it's much better now than it was -- think PBS and Nickelodean Jr. Uh oh, our kids are eating too much of those foods that fund those TV programs. Now, those companies which received public acclaim and awards are being villified for their efforts.

 

General Mills, for example, is being hotly criticized for their little $.10 coupons on every box ("Boxtops for Education"). Sure, they were the model Program for years for corporate education-oriented philanthropy... But, today they're evil because our kids are too heavy and that means the makers of "Kids" cereals are to be blamed. Forget the fact that the kids' cereal payed for the school's playground and Phys ed. equipment! . . . GM is tricking America's children into Forcing their parents into buying cereal that's bad for them . . .

 

 

Ok, so that's 5 -6 paragraphs too long, but now I don't have to contribute for a week or two - while this carpul-tunnel thing gets fixed . . .

 

jd

[Eamonn]

I wasn't really spinning off your posting John,I just seen this in a copy of USNWR and thought that in a very loose sort of way Failure, Participation and kids rule all came under the same umbrella.

Eamonn.

Good Luck with the surgery.