My kids used to be exactly the same but grew out of wanting all the material things they saw on ads when they were around 10. When they did get some of the stuff they craved, for birthdays and Christmas, they were very disappointed because it looked so much better on the ads. We just kept saying 'no' and now they have moved on to other ads and seriously worry about cancer, child neglect and distressed animals - the power of advertising on children is quite shocking. My daughter can recite all the loan company telephone numbers. When I say I can't afford to buy her something she tells me to ring Ocean Finiance and quotes the number!
TV has more of a negative effect on children, and people in general, than we think. Why not just turn the TV off for good? What would you really be missing? A friend of mine refers to TV as
"optical herion." Pretty strong remark, but it sure rings true.
Check out "The New Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease for a full description of what TV does to young minds.
