Child Geared Advertising and Teaching the Word "No"

I recently read a news article about a grassroots movement that is trying to convince toy makers to stop advertising to children because the economy is tough and parents don't want to disappoint their children.

I have some thoughts on this.

First, why are parents unable to say, "Sorry, we cannot afford a PS3, son. We'd really rather pay the rent this month." Why can't these people say no to their kids? How is it the toy maker's fault that parents have spines of Jello?

Second, are these parents also demanding that Detroit stop making cars that teenagers ask for? Or that excellent colleges stop charging tuition fees the family can't afford so that they won't have to see their kids disappointed about those things? If toy makers shouldn't be advertising to younger kids, auto makers, educational institutions and other costly concerns for parents should not be advertising at teenagers, considering the well known teenage lack of impulse control rampant in the world.

Third, while I agree that much of the marketing IS aggressive and directly aimed at the "I WANT!" hormone all kids seem to have, do these parents not know where the off switch on the TV is?

Fourth, have they considered teaching their kids how to save up their allowances and gift money and do odd jobs such as lawn mowing to pay for the big ticket items they want? The lessons kids learn from earning and saving for their own things are profound, and an item they themselves have paid for is more likely to be seriously considered before purchase, cared for better, and last longer.

My boys know the realities of life. They know that if we can afford it, we'll be happy to get it, but if we can't, then food and shelter win out every single time. They even appreciate it.

But more importantly, my kids aren't allowed to sit in front of a TV screen all day, absorbing ads for the latest MUST HAVE TOY OF THE YEAR. My kids watch ZERO television unless they are visiting a friend and it is on at the friend's house. We have no cable. No dish. And no antenna. And next month? We won't have an HDTV converter box, so we won't pick up diddly squat, TV-wise, even if we DID have an antenna.

I'm not saying that all parents should ditch the TV. That's what WE do, it works for US. But parents can certainly limit the time their kids spend in front of the babblebox being inundated with commercials every ten minutes that are trying to turn them into little consumeratrons. I do find it ironic, however, that this campaign is being led by a group concerned with making children's lives commercial free. Doing this is as simple as turning off the television. Perhaps a better campaign would be "Turn off the TV and give your kid a book!"

Parents need to teach their children about priorities, about being reasonable, and about self-control. They need to teach their children that they cannot ever in this life have everything that they want, and they need to teach them the word "No". They also need to teach their kids about how advertising works and remind them that those ads are created with the sole intent of creating a desire for something they didn't know they wanted until the ad told them that they did.