tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post3200964938601603374..comments2023-09-02T09:00:21.784-07:00Comments on Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood: Why do you "bother" living commercial-free?CCFChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931718130435283048noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-24902462627293119842011-12-07T04:15:40.604-08:002011-12-07T04:15:40.604-08:00I just couldn’t express how grateful and happy I a...I just couldn’t express how grateful and happy I am that I saw them during their tours.<br /><a href="http://snoreworry.com/" rel="nofollow">stop snoring</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-84153915260816867722011-11-22T02:06:22.157-08:002011-11-22T02:06:22.157-08:00"Creativity now trumps integrity... in being ..."Creativity now trumps integrity... in being considered the most important leadership quality." While this has nothing to do with commercialism, per se, this may be the saddest commentary I've read to date on the state of our society. <br /><br />I love LibraryChristi's comment. I too tell my kids that I refuse to pay money for them to become walking billboards. My older two (4 & 6) think that is hilarious.<br /><br />I made an interesting observation the other day. My older girls were playing together in their normal creative way, and then they started playing some Disney thing. As soon as my youngest tried to make her own game, my eldest (the rule-keeper) immediately scolded her "That's NOT how the movie goes. You have to do **(from the movie script)**." It really caught my attention to see this living example of the claim that commercial story lines restrict children's play. I think for Christmas this year the girls are going to get a big batch of play silks and a Kool-Aid dyeing party with Mommy!<br /><br />As I mentioned on another thread, I try to look at commercial influences as educational opportunities. We talk about what advertising is, how companies have to make you feel like you need something if they want to stay in business. We talk about some of the things they do to manipulate our feelings or make their product look better than it is. When I see a clever ad, I point it out and we talk about it. I want to keep my kids engaging with me, not just say "no" to them. Hopefully if I can get them thinking, they will make good choices when it's their turn to decide. Even if they do decide to buy something (which I certainly do at times), I want them to DECIDE it, not be blindly manipulated into it.Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-38619349844230904772011-11-13T07:47:21.899-08:002011-11-13T07:47:21.899-08:00Thank you Brandy King. Though I don't have chi...Thank you Brandy King. Though I don't have children yet, I'm certain that when I'll be a parent I wouldn't want my children to be brained washed by all the candy and toys commercials that are EVERYWHERE these days (seriously, I went to the Dr and encountered commercials for kids snacks..).<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.parentgiving.com/shop/adult-diapers-incontinence-3/c/" rel="nofollow">adult diapers</a>Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02370800362569689711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-88801498050846673322011-11-08T00:30:21.705-08:002011-11-08T00:30:21.705-08:00Commercialism encourages imitation, stifling creat...Commercialism encourages imitation, stifling creativity. It's not just that the toy zooms for you instead of you having to push it, but it's the messaging being so strong that kids apparently lock in with some sort of internal reward system when they imitate or become some brand character they see from a strong brand instead of creating their own pretend worlds to act in.Paulhttp://hesspaul.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-71249568811109057222011-11-07T06:54:03.332-08:002011-11-07T06:54:03.332-08:00I have a no-disney-princesses rule in my house. I ...I have a no-disney-princesses rule in my house. I am not against commercialized products to the extent that you are, but the reason I am vehemently anti-princess is that I really don't like the message inherent in Disney princesses. I have a young daughter (and son) and do I really want them to grow up thinking that the way to be "happy ever after" is to be beautiful and win the heart of prince charming? The whole thing is disgusting. Now if my daughter wanted to play with Thomas I would probably be okay with that.Alex Davishttp://www.sewcalledlife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-19275704062710607432011-11-03T05:05:38.247-07:002011-11-03T05:05:38.247-07:00I hate the branding of EVERYTHING and while we sta...I hate the branding of EVERYTHING and while we stay away when we buy toys, the plastic diapers we sometimes use, the underwear, the toothbrushes, backpacks, lunch pails. It's really hard!!! Thank you for your thoughtfully written post on this. I find it easier at this point to lean towards 0, almost never taking them to stores that have that stuff, and when I do never buying it. Because when I try for 0 I usually hit 1 or 2.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-32443731320776102102011-10-31T02:05:53.214-07:002011-10-31T02:05:53.214-07:00To be honest, my thinking on both the lunchpail an...To be honest, my thinking on both the lunchpail and the bookbag (granted i'm not a parent YET, but I am going to school to become a childrens teacher, one of my professors lead me to CCFC) would be to buy a generic lunchpail/bookbag and help them decorate it! Glitter, sparkles, markers, stickers, felt, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, can all go on there! than it's something they made and can be proud of.<br /><br />I remember as a teenager in High school, i was interested in calligraphy. I bought those notebooks where the cover was see through covered plastic, used calligraphy on paper to write my subjects, and taped it to the plastic cover, with heavy duty tape. It made it my own, and unique and I loved it. Just some thoughsMichellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-48131734353053328732011-10-29T11:47:57.360-07:002011-10-29T11:47:57.360-07:00I love watching my kids play outside. They get qui...I love watching my kids play outside. They get quite creative about playing with leaves, rocks, bikes, strollers and acting out some trip we've recently made. I like your points about the ways toys advertise everything the toy does on its own, forgetting that kids need to use their own imaginations with toys!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-84180141469981050172011-10-28T11:53:10.353-07:002011-10-28T11:53:10.353-07:00Brandy, I love this! This is exactly how my siste...Brandy, I love this! This is exactly how my sister and I grew up. The true joy of childhood is figuring out how everything relates in the world, and what better way to discover that than through creativity and imagination rather than through toys that do things for you and have a connection to a commercial entity. Can't wait to read your next post.Carolyn L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-39547551246389428722011-10-25T14:53:41.260-07:002011-10-25T14:53:41.260-07:00We caved at the (hand-me-down) Princess bike. I m...We caved at the (hand-me-down) Princess bike. I mean really, what would you rather have your 4 y.o. daughter do? Learn to ride a bike or not learn because she doesn't want to ride a "boys" bike? i.e.--the blue one that we tried SO HARD to get her excited about. In the end, we chose exercise over cross-marketing. And we don't have commercial TV at our house, only a dusty DVD player. But at that age, esp. once they get into preschool & mix with other kids, they become fierce little Defenders of Gender and regulate themselves. The marketers have figured this out & manipulate gendered symbols accordingly. To truly be commercial-free is not an option anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-63621283905729977412011-10-25T08:34:02.856-07:002011-10-25T08:34:02.856-07:00I guess I'm a little late to the game. When I...I guess I'm a little late to the game. When I think about media and my child, I think about limiting tv time, watching together, and only watching things that I've screened beforehand (or checked out on CommonSense.org. <br />I don't let my son watch "regular" tv, commercials, news, etc. I don't leave Victoria's Secret catalogs lying around and we don't listen to popular radio because there is nothing wholesome on the radio these days. I never thought about the issues you raised here. I'm ashamed to admit that I live on the island of Sodor lol. If it's an engine with a face, we own it. You make a compelling argument that leaves me wondering, what now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-15627649538132994882011-10-25T07:39:02.850-07:002011-10-25T07:39:02.850-07:00Great post. I appreciate the realism in accepting ...Great post. I appreciate the realism in accepting that 'commercial-free' may be an unattainable ideal in modern society. Still, you make a strong case for 'commercial-reduced' living.Erichttp://www.kidobi.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-32020788331892831182011-10-25T07:26:13.621-07:002011-10-25T07:26:13.621-07:00Love the article Brandy. Having raised three chil...Love the article Brandy. Having raised three children in the backyard, creating gardens, pails of water for painting on the deck, holes in the ground for tunnels, forts in the trees...I'd say...fun is in the places that have been naturally created in our environment, as well as with the concrete practice of objects that build and enhance creativity and love of imagination.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-69981415532838415532011-10-25T06:37:16.467-07:002011-10-25T06:37:16.467-07:00Brandy--beautifully, succinctly and realistically ...Brandy--beautifully, succinctly and realistically presented. Thank you!Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12484770307308913510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-41115572122655807002011-10-20T18:01:33.749-07:002011-10-20T18:01:33.749-07:00One of the reasons I love cloth diapers. But I do...One of the reasons I love cloth diapers. But I do use disposables overnight. I was delighted when I put an elmo diaper on my daughter and she got excited about the soccer ball that Elmo was kicking yelled out "ball!" not "elmo!". Love the peeing an the princesses thing...too funny!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-69381823002597413172011-10-20T17:43:22.685-07:002011-10-20T17:43:22.685-07:00I use Target diapers. They are much cheaper than ...I use Target diapers. They are much cheaper than brand name diapers and, in my opinion, work a lot better, and they don't have any characters on them!Mieke G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12045168960456646434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-62270894234596446272011-10-20T11:00:54.391-07:002011-10-20T11:00:54.391-07:00Cracking up over this diapers comment :-) Did you...Cracking up over this diapers comment :-) Did you see Josh Golin's post on diapers a while back? Here's the link: http://commercialfreechildhood.blogspot.com/2010/07/and-so-it-begins-elmo-my-daughter-and.htmlBrandyhttp://www.knowledge-linking.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-2255192537089852272011-10-20T08:44:03.365-07:002011-10-20T08:44:03.365-07:00We've had an impossible time finding overnight...We've had an impossible time finding overnight diapers that could "go the distance" and didn't contain licensed characters. My husband and I ultimately agreed to give in on the Huggies Disney Princess diapers for our 17 month old (man those princesses are absorbent). We told her she was allowed to pee all over the Disney Princesses but not play with them. You think she understood? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-1011975369409603852011-10-20T08:18:20.547-07:002011-10-20T08:18:20.547-07:00It's political, too. As we watch (or participa...It's political, too. As we watch (or participate) in the 99% movement, it's important to recognize that our wallets ARE our ballots in a culture that conflates the two.Gracenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-70464294047773702712011-10-20T07:17:25.724-07:002011-10-20T07:17:25.724-07:00Yes! This is exactly one of the reasons I prefer ...Yes! This is exactly one of the reasons I prefer commercial-free items/toys for my daughter. But, of course, you wrote it much more brilliantly than I ever could.<br /><br />I also have a problem making my child a walking advertisement for companies. Licensed characters are really just money-makers for the companies that created them. Yes, she may want a Winnie-the-Pooh lunch box, but all I can think is how that lunch box is really a not-so-disguised ad for Disney. I'd rather skip character items until she's old enough to understand the link between items of creativity (Winnie-the-Pooh books) and items of marketing (like the lunch box).LibraryChristihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06781128742932153604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-56750143883744962602011-10-20T07:13:56.316-07:002011-10-20T07:13:56.316-07:00As always, you insight is spot-on and your eloquen...As always, you insight is spot-on and your eloquence is much-appreciated. Thank you for taking such a complicated and often emotional process and crafting a succinct and helpful guide.Alisonhttp://www.ci4y.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-29540467413900007732011-10-20T07:07:17.076-07:002011-10-20T07:07:17.076-07:00Sarah I'm so glad you think so, it is definite...Sarah I'm so glad you think so, it is definitely hard to put into words sometimes! I gave this a lot of reflection before I decided on a way I could explain it. Love hearing from other parents about what they say too!Brandyhttp://www.knowledge-linking.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371537877012050693.post-48940566512473175202011-10-19T13:33:33.856-07:002011-10-19T13:33:33.856-07:00Brandy, I love this. Thank you. I have struggled t...Brandy, I love this. Thank you. I have struggled to articulate to others why I don't by media-branded toys (or cups/plates/diapers/backpacks) because I'm afraid of sounding crazy/neurotic/paranoid. You put it so well, and so simply.Sarahhttp://powersofmine.comnoreply@blogger.com