It is the phrase that we hear most parents of our children by these dates. It is not for less. We turn on the TV and two out of five ads are aimed at children. Toys, more toys, game consoles, games for the game console, stuffed animals, dolls and a long list of advertisements promoting children's items.
Like all parents, I am worried that my girls sit down to watch TV and end up asking for four toys per advertising batch.
Bullying in December is nothing new. We are in the month of the year in which the toy industry sells the most and as in any business, television advertising is a very effective tool, especially if we talk about children who spend many hours in front of the screen. The evidence is that half of the children ask in their letter for toys they have seen on TV, while 30% of them are associated with television series and movies. That is, TV encourages Christmas consumerism.
If we do not want our children to be exposed to such advertising harassment, the first thing we can do is restrict the hours the child is exposed to TV, as Brad Pitt said in an interview with his children. Avoid bombardment of ads by removing your children from in front of the TV.
Second, teach them to be more selective and convey that they do not need so many toys or the most expensive to be happy. At home we try to choose two favorite toys that you really want to have (one is brought by Santa Claus and the other the Kings), which at the same time is durable, according to their age and stimulates their development in some way. By having them ask for ten toys in the letter we are indirectly encouraging an exaggerated consumerism and a request for asking that we end up becoming a buy for buy.
