Tuning out TV commercials for children
My four-year-old son is a walking commercial.
My husband and I recently decided that it was OK for him to watch a few cartoons that were previously off limits – SpiderMan, Ben 10, Phineas and Ferb. He’s enjoying the more sophisticated dialogue (Albeit the occasional “stupid” reference, which we have explained is a “bad word.”)
The real problem is the commercials. These new shows are riddled with ads, and my son just eats them up.
In the past week, here are a few of the exchanges my son and I have had:
“Mom, look! Bendaroos! I want those,” he explains to me with the excitement of opening a Christmas gift. “If you buy one, you get another free!”
Ouch.
Last night, my son asked me to take off my sweatshirt, suggesting instead that I use a blanket to stay warm. I explained to him that blankets aren’t as practical because you can’t wear them around the house the way you wear a sweatshirt. It’ll just slide off my arms.
“You can buy a snuggie. Right, Mom?” he said, completely oblivious that he sounded like a pitchman for As Seen on TV products. “That’s a good idea.”
Oh, no.
The icing on the cake came at bedtime, when my son squeezed in a few more minutes of playtime with his Bionicles (which are a new line of Lego toys).
“New, from Bionicles,” he said as he lay them down next to his bed.
That’s it. From now on we are going to Tivo the shows and fast forward through the commercials.
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