Mommage

Name that Tune...

I have a song in my head right now. You know what that's like; you just get this tune in your head, and you can't get it out. It just reverberates in your brain until you think you're going insane. Tinnitus indeed.

What's on TV?

What is on TV?  Don't ask me - I have no idea!  Unless it is on Noggin or Disney, I probably missed it.  And let me tell you, I like TV.  I am fascinated by the horrible shows.  I was addicted to Paradise Hotel and that rotten Love Cruise a few years ago.  Man, it was like driving by a car accident.  I knew it sucked, but I could not turn away.

Welcome to the New Reality

This year, my husband and I are doing something we haven't had to do in quite awhile. Do you want to know what it is? Are you sure you're ready? Are you sitting down? Okay, here it goes...

We're setting a budget this year for Christmas spending.

I know...WOW. Who would've thunk it. It's not that we're the Trumps or anything, or that we were super huge spenders; however, we've never really had to budget. But this year, with a new house, mortgage, and as-yet unsold condo, our cash flow is much thinner than it has been in recent years. My list for our son started out as nearly one page chock full of a one-year-old's dream team of toys, but though we'd love to give our son everything his little one-year-old heart desires, we just can't. Plus, we don't want him growing up thinking he's entitled to get whatever he asks for. I didn't get whatever **I** wanted, and somehow I turned out just fine.

Welcome to reality boy.

We're not the only ones feeling the cash flow crunch this year. Many other parents have the same concerns, so much that they've written to toy manufacturers this year, asking them to cut back on their marketing to children. "By bombarding [children] with advertisements...you are placing parents like me in the unenviable position of having to tell our children that we can't afford the toys you promote," wrote one parent.

I guess my reaction to this statement would be, "Um, isn't that part of being a parent?"

Yes, I know this is the time of year that toy manufacturers and retail stores blast our television sets with  one advertisement after another pushing the hottest new toy, electronic item, or pack of gum. And while my son isn't quite to the "I WANT" stage yet, I know as parents it is difficult telling your children (and really, yourself) "no." My parents, though not poor by any stretch, had to do the same for us. It sucked, for everyone. However, we survived.

But advertisements for toys have been around forever, and manufacturers have been pushing these ads for years, creating all kinds of hype for things that really, are only fun until the next new thing comes along (Remember Cabbage Patch dolls?). And parents have been in the "unenviable" position of saying "no" for years, too. Why is it a problem now?

See, the thing is, we live in a Capitalist society, like it or not, and companies will always find ways to increase their bottom line through marketing. And there will always be stuff your kids want, and as a parent it will always be your job to figure out if it's feasible to get it for them or even if they deserve it. No, it's not the fun part of being a parent, but it's also what you signed up for when you became one. So, while I sympathize somewhat, I also couldn't help but think way before the article did, "Why don't you just say 'no'?"

Welcome to the new reality, people.

-Contributed by Dawn