furtive functor deploying:…

This reminds me of about two thirds of my childhood.

Case in point- as a teen, I was allowed to watch whatever I wanted- but my mom would be there. And if it was contrary to what we as a family believed, we would discuss it as such. I remember (this will really show my age) when “James at 15″ turned into “James at 16″- and the main character experienced his first time. We had MANY important discussions on this show and it helped me sort thru a lot.

I realize today’s media is not the blushing golden sweetness of the 70′s I experienced and certainly I would not give my kids free reign of the tv (especially since they are still quite young)- but this is how I work with my kids when we watch.

We also discuss how advertising is not always what it seems. Action figures and dolls always seem to be advertised in their own little worlds. We talk often about how you can’t buy that whole world and how its really more about making the toys look better. Often my kids find themselves building their own “worlds” rather than buying. Case in point- while my son is a bit of a Harry Potter fan, he has few potter toys. A few figures and his robe and wand. Otherwise, he’s out in the yard, building Hogwarts out of boxes from the recycle bin or making potions from mud and leaves in the yard.

My wife being a teacher now she sees first hand the lack of creativity and critical thinking skills of children who were not forced to go outside and play. They just expect everything spoon fed to them because they were never forced to problem solve and be creative.

I agree with you on media consumption. When you factor in all forms of media, that isn’t that much time. And you aren’t considering the media. While I realize there is a lot of junk out there, I think there is a point where your children could miss out if you completely ban all the media listed. Have you ever had a family discussion based on something in the news? What about finding answers to questions on the internet?

You won’t, and can’t, monitor everything. However I’ve found the two biggest points to ensure some control are:

No TV in their rooms.
No Computer in their rooms.

Both are in the common areas, and we can walk by, and often do, and comment fully on what they are watching or the web pages their on.

On the surface, it seems like she’s right. There is Schor’s data to back her up. Also, my childhood contemporaries whose parents monitored their media consumption are tons more successful and well-adjusted than I.

I don’t think the connection outlined in Born to Buy is iron-clad. Why? People have to consider that the houses where parents allow their children to consume unrestricted media are often the houses where the parents a) don’t want to turn off the damn tv because they might miss today’s episode of Oprah, b) don’t want to do anything with their children that wouldn’t involve media consumption or shopping and c) have their own problems that they are not working to mitigate or solve outright.

The preceding was my experience, anyway.