But I WANT It!

Children Toys  Parent group urges toymakers to stop targeting children in their advertising
by Associated Press
Published: Sat, November 29, 2008 - 1:31 pm CST Last Updated: Sat, November 29, 2008 - 2:56 pm CST
NEW YORK (AP) - Some parents who are economically squeezed are
writing toy makers asking them to quit marketing directly to their
children.
One man in Indiana wrote that such ads put parents in the tough
spot of having to tell their kids they can't afford the toys the
kids want.
A group called the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood says
some 1,400 of its members and supporters have contacted 24 leading
toy companies and retailers. The group wants toy ads directed at
parents, not children. The campaign says it's "not fair" to
encourage kids to nag for gifts their parents can't afford.
The Toy Industry Association argues that children "are a vital
part of the gift selection process."
A consultant to the industry says toy companies advertise to
kids "because it works."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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OH MY GOD.

Why can’t parents PARENT anymore?

Toy ads have been marketing children since….the beginning of advertising.

I asked for all kinds of stuff growing up. If my parents said “no” that was the finial word.
I would have gotten a spanking right there in front of everybody if I threw myself on the ground and pitched a fit like I see kids do these days.

If you give in, you only teach them that whining and crying will give them everything they want.

It’s a whole generation of BRATS.

It’s hard to turn down a child but I do it in the easiest way I can think of at the time.We have tried to follow the practice of IF YOU DON"T HAVE THE CASH YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT for some time now,and it has helped a lot in hard times.We use a credit card in cases of emergencies and then pay it off as quick as possible,usually with in a month or two,depending on the amount charged else the interest charges will eat you up.You defintely have to put wants way behind needs if you want to keep away from these loan sharks that are called credit cards now.

i agree southfan and dew26, credit will do you in.
it will make you act like ernest t.. on mayberry. i remember seeing the time where if a neighbors barn burned down,  other neighbors would have a barn building party and rebuild it for the neighbor, now if it happens the neighbors are asking to recycle the wood. years ago when i was a single parent we made our christmas decorations and laughed so hard at our little 12 dollar christmas tree. it was so much fun. just one big gift and the rest was small surprises, but never forgot to remember the reason we gave gifts.

OMG…You are going to deprive your kids of everything they want? What if they slap you or break something of yours because you won’t give it to them? Then they go in your purse or your wallet and take some money and go buy whatever it is they want.  What are you going to do about that? Oh, I know…sit them down and talk to them and tell them that was wrong and all the time they are slapping you in the face. Of course, you can’t slap them back because that would be child abuse.

A lot of children think its child abuse when you don’t buy them everything they want. I guess they should just call the cops and have the parents arrested.

Dew, we got too far away from paying as you go. Credit is going to kill the Americans who got stretched out on it. And it’s sad that the companies can collect the APR they do. Who could possibly pay that off?

I was lucky a nasty divorce left me without credit. I’ve never used it and never needed to catch up on payments because I was forced to save for my front loader. Okay, so it took me 20 years. smile

Does anyone remember when a plain old wooden block was a car and a stack of them was a house? A pitcher of Koolaid was a big deal? If you lived on a farm, bologna was IT?

Personally, I think if we limited TV to Andy Griffith and Sesame Street, we’d all be a lot better off.

I agree with southfan1981. My 10 year old step-daughter is quickly learning the difference between WANTS and NEEDS. I tell her no all the time, not because I can’t afford it, but because I can’t justify blowing money on needless JUNK. I have no problem paying 25$ for a book or something educational, but I can’t make myself pay 10-15$ for a useless toy that she will have interest in for about 30 days. Her mother got into the habit of swiping those credit cards every time she asked for something. Now WE going to paying for all that debt for the next 2 years or better, and she has nothing at all to show for it besides debt! I guess it’s a matter of how you were raised, cause when I grew up my parents had just enough to keep the power going, and have a roof over our heads. Kids today think they HAVE to have the coolest and newest toys. It’s up to the parents to teach a child how to spend money wisely in the long run.

I was thinking the same thing while reading the headline. It’s called, “No.” Maybe the parents don’t know how to go without and keep the credit card in the wallet? There is NOTHING wrong with telling a child that you can not afford something. Explain what you have to exchange for that purchase and show them the consequences of a purchase. If they are old enough to beg, they are old enough to understand.

If kids were not watching so much TV, they would not be exposed to all the ads.

It only works if parents ” allow” their children to nag, whine and become pains in the butt.

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