My first thought, “Wow, he is a great reader!”

My second thought, “Wow, the advertisers already have him.”

I knew that it was time to act. It was time to defend my children from being told what they needed to buy in order to be happy.

Then I remembered a trick that I learned from a Tony Campolo talk on Greed. It was time to start teaching my children to laugh at commercials.

Our first adventure in laughing at advertisements was simply perfect.

Our children were watching Veggie Tales on live TV, when a commercial for a “Prayer Cross” began to play. This product was an overpriced piece of cheap jewelry with the words of the Lords Prayer on it. Yet this product claimed to “help you pray to God” and to “bring you peace and hope.”

It was time to pull out the laughter (Profanity was my first reaction, but not as helpful.).

“Kids that is so funny! Do we need to buy jewelry to talk to God? No way!” “Ha, Ha, Ha!”

“We do not need that ‘prayer cross’ to get peace and hope from God!” “Ha, Ha, Ha!” “That is SO SILLY!”

The kids quickly joined in on the fun at laughing at the commercial!

We proceeded to expand the game to commercials for breakfast cereals, toys, and movies.

We now enjoy a lot of laughter at the expense of ridiculous advertisements.

Jim and Robyn and there two children live in Wauwatosa, WI. In addition to laughing at commercials, they enjoy discussing theology and culture, playing outside, and eating ice cream together. Jim is an associate pastor at Elmbrook with a focus on emerging adults.
Jim’s Blog: http://jimvining.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jimvining
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimvining

Well, the whole big world has a lot of little girls in it, too. And not all of them are princesses — and the ones who are princesses have plenty of movies to watch.

And even many of them who do aspire to be princesses are mixing their princess tendencies with all manner of other delicious things. Their tiaras fall off when they skin their knees running at top speed; they get fingerpaint on their pink dresses; they chip their front teeth chasing each other in plastic high-heeled shoes.

There’s nothing wrong with the movies you’re making; I’m sure your princess movie will be my favorite one ever. I’m just saying, keep them in mind, those girls in Band-Aids, because they want to see themselves on screen doing death-defying stunts, too. You’re making some of my favorite movies in the whole world right now.

Please, please make one about a girl who isn’t a princess.

This question of role models for young girls is huge. One might say that little girls simply like princesses and faeries so there is no need to market anything else to them. But do they like those things because that is what they have been told to like by the marketing people? I know making movies is generally about making money, but if there are messages to be told it wouldn’t be so hard to tell the story of a normal girl doing extraordinary things. That’s what most movies are like, except they are about boys. Why do the producers feel like movies about girls don’t need to be made?

It reminds me on an interview I read with J.K. Rowling years ago. She said her name on the Harry Potter books was chosen to be J.K. Rowling by the publisher because they thought that boys wouldn’t read a book written by a girl. So her name was changed from Joanne to J.K. to not “scare away” potential male readers. But honestly, would the most popular children’s series ever have failed if early readers were too sexist to pick up the books? Sometimes what the marketing people think our kids want versus what they really like doesn’t quite match up.

My daughter loves princesses and TinkerBelle, but she also likes bugs and getting dirty. The other day she told me all about an exciting game of Star Wars My Little Pony she played on the playground (yes, I’m still confused – what, do they have rainbow lightsabers?). I want her to see girls in the movies she sees doing all sorts of interesting things – not just looking pretty as princesses. Boys shouldn’t be the only ones who get to dream of doing great things. So I appreciated this open letter for raising the question – and wonder when we will actually see movies just about girls being girls.

crossposted from Emerging Women

How do you react to this situation?

I personally am appalled that a parent would abandon a child, but understand that perhaps that could be the best thing for the kid in the long run. My question is, what resources do these families have to deal with their struggles? Are there any good options available to help them work through whatever they are facing? Is this a discipline issue, an economic issue, a self-centeredness issue, a total lack of support issue? Where truly can struggling parents turn that works with them without simply condemning them for wanting to abandon their kids or for having sex and a kid in the first place? What is the role of the church in these situations?

Okay serious rant to follow. What is with our country moving towards more and more discrimination. Entire groups of people are being banned from restaurants and public places. Reminiscent of the days of segregation, signs are being put up banning a certain demographic from eating or swimming in certain places. But instead of signs proclaiming “Whites Only” or “No Colored People Allowed” these signs state “No Children Allowed.”

Apparently as the baby boomers kick their kids out of the house and more and more people are choosing to not have kids, they don’t want to be bothered by other people’s kids. They would rather not have to interact with that segment of the population and so are pushing for mandates and rules to protect themselves from children. I understand laws that prevent children from entering strip clubs or R rated movies, but this is going too far. It started in restaurants, private establishments that could discriminate as they choose. Then there were subdivisions (gated usually) that barred anyone under 18 from living there (and often even visiting). But now apparently public beaches in Illinois are banning children to meet the baby boomers’ demands for comfort. If this PUBLIC beach had put up signs banning women, or Mexicans, or Muslims there would be huge public outcry and an avalanche of lawsuits. But the ban on children is being met with praise and thanks for the opportunity for the self-center to not have to deal with that pesky and annoying minority – children.

And that is what children are – a voiceless minority that is generally despised because they are not adults. I’ve become increasingly annoyed by the death glares I get if I bring my toddler into certain stores or restaurants. I’m sick of always being seated in the far back corner by the kitchen in restaurants. But to be denied access because baby boomers are living up to their label of being the “me generation” is just too much. And this isn’t happening behind closed doors either. I’ve heard earfuls from empty nesters and the childless (usually bitchy bitter women at craft fairs) about how much they hate children. Stories of how they would spank strangers’ children because the mom obviously wasn’t going to give the kid the walloping they deserve for crying in a store. Or telling me that all restaurants should ban children or at least parents refrain from exposing other people to their children by eating out. As one lady put it, places like McDonald’s exist if parents insist on eating out with kids. So abuse of children and encouraging childhood obesity are better options that making a self-centered adult spend time in the presence of a child.

My response – GET OVER YOURSELVES! Stop being self-centered jerks. Life is not all about you. Stop discriminating against children because you are too lazy to understand them or too selfish to care. Just FYI – I’ll will continue to take my child out to eat and to play at the beach and no I won’t hit them if they get too loud. I will not give into segregation and will do my best to be an advocate for the voiceless.

(amazingly enough I agree with Al Mohler on this one. Age segregated communities, churches, or societies are not healthy)