Commercialization

Once upon a time, our TV only received three channels, the most watched of which was the blissfully commercial-free PBS. Since I don’t watch much TV myself, not having 100 different channels to pick from was just fine with me. Even better, my daughters had no clue who SpongeBob or other non-PBS-related characters were, and since they never saw commercials, they rarely asked for specific toys or cereal with SpongeBob emblazoned on the box.

Enter the era of my sons, who have had a multitude of channels from which to pick since they can remember. Hello advertisement-ridden Nickelodeon and Disney. Goodbye PBS. Gone are the refreshing commercial-free days of old; now, my children are inundated with ads for anything a kid could ever possibly dream about.

When we go shopping, the boys beg me for Dora macaroni and cheese, Diego toothbrushes and anything adorned with Spiderman. The character stuff always costs a lot more too. I say no to the mac and cheese because not only is it more expensive, with much less in the box than the regular kind to boot, I just don’t buy it on principle.

One day we were at the store and we went past the toilet paper. “Look, Mom,” said then-5-year-old Cody. “That’s Charmin Ultra Strong and that’s Charmin Ultra Soft.” I stared at him, speechless. He was right. I asked him how he knew which was which and he said, “Because I saw it on TV.” Great.

Though I would undoubtedly have a mini-riot on my hands, I’ve been considering pulling the plug on the variety of TV stations we have and going back to the bunny ears. The world is already full of items everywhere that advertisers convince us we need without being bombarded with more advertisements in our own homes. Much of it is so ridiculous and pointless too, and watching my kids coveting a toy dog that “swims”  or a doll that wets itself almost makes me ill when I think of all the children in the world who don’t even have a roof over their heads or enough food.

We have so much in our country. So much, we take what we do have for granted every single day. Pointing this out to small children is pretty much fruitless though; all they know is the world around them, and, both fortunately and unfortunately, that knowledge just doesn’t expand to kids who are dying of starvation or disease. Kids who would be thrilled to have the bread crusts my youngest just threw in the trash, let alone a toy dinosaur on which they could ride.

Maybe it’s just time for some giving. I want my kids to grow up to be compassionate, caring, generous adults with a heart for those less fortunate. To help instill those qualities, I think this year I’ll have them use their allowances to put together a Christmas gift for a child who otherwise would not get one. I really want to get them out of this “gotta-have” mindset, as popular and prominent as it is in our society.

How do you help your kids with their toy-lust? Does your family do charity work such as volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping sort clothes and collect food for the needy? What are some ways during this holiday season that your family could focus on others?

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I did it!

I’m so proud of myself.

I drove over 2400 miles alone with my four kids last month to visit my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins, all without anyone losing any limbs or vital organs. I only lost my patience a few times — the incessant squabbling, whining and air-hitting took its toll, as did the inevitable question, “Are we almost there?” — and amazingly, the drive went much faster than I had anticipated.

We had some quite pleasant and interesting conversations. I learned that Cody is a truly deep thinker. The concepts he thinks about are way more complex than the typical 5-year-old. I learned that Rachel is crazy-in-love with Nick Jonas and that Andie worries more about life than I thought possible. I also learned, again, that Logan can fall asleep in a vehicle mid-bite.

It was a great experience. Not just visiting the relatives and getting away from the stress of everyday life, but the long periods of time spent with my kids, showing them the gradual rising and swelling of the land as we drove further west, and reveling in their awe at the mountains I had taken for granted growing up. It was like seeing the landscape for the first time again to see it through their fascinated eyes.

Showing them my grandparents’ old house, the house that my great-grandfather built, visiting my grandparents’ graves and the elementary school I attended was probably more interesting for me than for them, but the girls seemed excited to see parts of my past. It was fun to show them the things I remembered, even though old haunts, stores and streets were undoubtedly fairly insignificant to them.

Watching them getting to know my aunts and uncles and cousins, and particularly my 96-year-old grandmother, made me swell with happiness. At home, the only family nearby is my sister, so being around all of this extended family, as well as my parents, was bliss. I love my family to pieces and it has always bugged me that I live so far away from them.

So, it was with sadness and a few tears that we made our way back home. As the landscape became flatter and flatter, we knew we were close to home (though the hordes of bugs committing suicide on our windshield gave us a clue as well). And when we pulled into my in-laws’ yard at the last half hour of our trip and the kids all jumped out of the van with cries of uninhibited joy, I knew we’re in a good place here too.

Now that I know I can make that trip by myself, my family doesn’t seem so far away anymore.

However, the beautiful weather and virtually bug-less environment my family is blessed enough to live in now seems impossibly far.

You gotta love the good ol’ Midwest. Or at least use lots of mosquito repellent.

Where have you and your family vacationed?

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On being Mommy

I just realized that the beloved name of “Mommy” has departed from my house, most likely forever. As I was lying in bed this morning, listening to my 4-year-old yelling my name over and over again in an attempt to get me to carry him down the stairs, it occurred to me that he was yelling, “Mom!”, his siblings’ name for me. I’ve tried to encourage him to stick with “Mommy” because I cherish the name and I know it’s usually a short-lived one; however, I suppose listening to his three older siblings call me “Mom” constantly has put an untimely end to it, an end that I didn’t even notice until now.

This realization actually makes me very sad in a way, because it means that my kids are all past that point of sweet, unquestioned trusting affection that comes with the name, “Mommy.” Although I’m happy to have kids who are all sleeping through the night, can dress themselves and are relatively independent, it’s still the end of an era.

Do your kids still call you those endearing childhood names?

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The Most Common New-Mommy Myths

1. You can take a shower or use the bathroom without an audience when you have kids under 5.

2. The magic marker in your toddler’s hair, ears, nose and clothing will come right out.

3. You’ll get eight consecutive hours of shut-eye once the baby starts “sleeping through the night.”

4. You won’t mind puke, poop and snot at all when it’s your own child’s.

5. Your child would never use her sleeve as a Kleenex.

6. Once you have children, you’ve got this thing down pat.

 

What myths would you add to this list?

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