Parents' desperate plea: No more ads for toys

i bet these are the same parents with obese children because they can't say no when the child want some mcdonalds or burger king, who then blame the restaurants for their decisions and the resulting problems.  all they are doing is transferring the blame to someone else, an all too common practice these days.  they don't want their children to see these ads, so instead of the obvious solution of turning off the TV and regulating their children's viewing habits, they complain to the businesses to stop the ads. of course, they don't want to turn off the TV because it is raising their children for them. and saying no? well then they might have to do some actual parenting when the child throws a fit.

and where did this idea that children HAVE to get everything they want come from? when i was growing up there were so many thing i wanted and didn't get because my parents simply could not afford it.  trust me, they had no problem whatsoever saying no when i begged them for those things. perhaps that is why i did not grow up to be a selfish and greedy person.  this 'my child is the greatest child ever and deserves whatever he wants' mentality is going to result in a generation of shallow adults with a lack of character.  this letter writing campaign to the toy companies is laugable.

Umm - are we all going a bit crazy?  If you don't want your kids to see ads for toys - turn the TV off.

wtf? what a bunch of numb skulls. maybe that would be a good occasion to teach the kids self restraint because obviously they haven't learned that yet by observing their parents. get a life.

Keep in mind this is from a 16 year old girl:

wow. these people need to stop playing the blame game.

first, there's been commercials aimed at kids since the beginning of television. and you want it to change now because you can't say no to your kids or tell them that you can't afford it (for many people it's because they live way beyond their means). 

 second just monitor what the kids are watching. explain to them what channels you want them to watch and what one are inapporiate and tell them that most of the toys that you see on TV are just junk.

Parents can also teach their children that the holidays are for family and the gifts are something special that CAN come along, be happy if you get them, if not just celebrate the time with your family. Parent's can also pick a one night a week where it's no TV time or family time. you'll bond with your kids and they'll have less commercials.

If parents are tight on money but want to give a Christmas gift, why not a bike, scooter, trampoline or a swing set. the kids will use these things for years to come and they'll have to be outside away from the ads.

i know it's hard to say no to your kids. but would you rather say yes and have your gas, phone, electric, or heat shut off? or would you say no and have a nice warm house for your kid to come home to every night? i know it might be hard to say no, but it's for the best and the kids will understand as they get older.

Children weren't taught greed and self-importance by the television or any other type of advertising. Children learned this from the only real source that surrounds them, or should surround them, 24 hours a day: Their Family. Mom wants a big screen T.V., Dad wants a new S.U.V, Uncle Joe wants a new house with stainless steel appliances and a 3 car garage, even though he only has 1 car ( he can always lease another one). THOSE DAYS ARE OVER. They never really existed in the first place. Grow a set and tell your kids, and yourself, "NO!" I don't have the empathy you're looking for.

Wow, people have gotten so stupid. Half of the people leaving comments on this story can't even read what they wrote to be sure it makes sense! Spelling errors, grammatical errors, complete lack of punctuation, improper use of words; what a bunch of idiots. What gives any of you the right to criticize the parenting skills of others when you are such morons?!?! Maybe the children aren't the only ones who need to get off of their asses and read a book. Some people should take a piece of their own advice.

On simple and easy word  NO.

Since when did a retailer of manufacturer ever care what the consumer actually wants? They just cram everything down our throats. The childrens brainwashing happens almost immediately. Tell your children to turn off the T.V. and grab a book.

Here's a novel idea for parents:

How about just saying "NO!"?  And sticking to it.  Trust me, the kid will get over it.  Especially if you act like parents, instead of the BFF.

The story made me shake my head. People are writing letters, asking execs to not advertise? Talk about passing the buck, playing the blame game, relinquishing control! The best thing a parent can do for a child is lead by example and exhibit a backbone. Unless a child has worked very hard for something - the short attention span for the latest and greatest toy/gadget quickly desolves for what is soon to be yesterday's got-to-have.

I keep thinking of the boy in Maine who allegedly killed his parents because they wouldn't foot the bill for him to travel in Europe. I realize it's an extreme, but when people raise their children to expect/demand what they want - and then give it to them - it's any wonder children feel entitled. Many kids have found that putting up enough of a fuss will pretty much get them what they want.

We are the adults - we do know better - it's time to act like it. That's what kids end up thanking their parents for.

No - to the kids every want, the outrageous advertising, the execs products. No is so much easier than writing a letter and more empowering than pushing the responsibility somewhere else.

When children are accustomed to getting what they ask for at Christmas, it's really hard to suddenly shift gears. Comments about "bad parenting" are not helpful. If toy companies can use marketing to sell toys, parents can "counter market". Develop your own marketing plan to convince your children that fun is running outdoors, playing board games with the family, learning crafts and making presents. First you have to believe it yourself. It won't be easy if all they know is sitting on the couch playing video games, but you must covince them that the alternative is preferable and MORE FUN!

PS - I've read a number of times that people felt badly they couldn't get the child a want for lack of money. People also need to say no to inappropriate gifts. Just because a child wants it, doesn't mean they should have it, regardless of whether or not it's affordable.

When my daughter was a baby, I made up my mind that I would raise her in a way that, hopefully, she would be proud of me when she grew up. Then I would know I had been the best parent I could be and my daughter would also learn to lead by example. I am proud to say I succeeded. Was it difficult? It was easier than trying to deal with the little "monsters" I hear people describe children as. And the rewards are deeply gratifying.

I think part of the problem with parents not saying "no" to their children, is that so many parents want to be the cool parent, or don't want their child to be mad at them, or even not have their child disappointed.

When this occurs when they are little and values are instilled, often do not know how to deal with disappointment. I think they become very self-centered, or have that potential, more than children who are not given everything they see and want. It is difficult to tell your little one with the "boo boo face" no honey you can't have that, but if they don't learn while they are still small then there will be trouble when the sad face no longer works.

Part of economic problem is many believing they should have everything no matter what the cost. If people purchased what they could actually afford on what they are currently making instead of what they project they will make our society would probably would be alot better off.

PARENTS PLEASE REALIZE THAT YOUR KIDS WILL SURVIVE CHILDHOOD WITHOUT EVERYTHING THEY DESIRE!  THEY WILL STILL LOVE YOU, AND IN 10 YEARS THEY WILL NOT REMEMBER EVERY GIFT THEY RECEIVED FROM YOU. "NO" IS NOT A DIRTY WORD!!!

Santa and Mrs. Claus have the flu this year and are too sick to get many of the toys ready for the sleigh......some of the elves also got the flu and cannot stop sneezing long enough to see well enough to make the toys. 

Santa promises things will be better next year.........hopefully..............

easy. get rid of the tv if you dont like ads.

While I do feel for the parents with the economy and all, but they should be doing their jobs as parents and telling their children no once and a while. Maybe they should turn off the tv and doing something together like play a game together or go for a walk/bike ride.  The TV is not a babysitter.

As I see it, the parents of today have difficulty saying NO.  Why?  Because they are the generation raised by the Dr. Spock "method".  He was a great proponant of "on demand feeding, and telling your child NO, would hurt their little psyche".  Since they never heard the word NO as a child, they don't know how to say it to their children now.

I agree with all who say turn off the TV - as a grandmother of a boy who just turned 3 last week, I watched in horror the other day the ads running, and heard him "I want that"!  I told him "NO", I would not buy that for him and I turned off the TV.   He quickly went and found his favorite truck and book!

For the past four years, including this year, my wife and I have (and will continue to) send my Sister and her husband a check as a gift for our Nephew, to go into his College Fund. He doesn't need more toys, and by doing this for his birthday and xmas, we are helping him in a way that will serve him his entire life. Toys are great as a child, but this is a much better solution to gift giving. Why buy $100 worth of toys he will outgrow, when that $100 will gain interest and help him pay for College in 14 years (when it'll likely cost $75K a semester if costs aren't reined in?)

My parents were poor, too poor to buy us much for Christmas, but my grandma jumped in and sent us so many wonderful things every year. But I would've loved to have seen her more often instead of all the toys in the world. I can count on one hand the number of times I was priveleged to see her and I cherish each time, but I don't remember half the things she sent me when I was little. They were special because she sent them, but I would've traded them for two more minutes with her in a heartbeat.

how many of those that are complaining about bad parenting are parent themselves?

i can sure ask that, im 21 and have no plans for kids any time in the future.

Fun Alternative:  When my kids were little (now college) they would just rip open presents and go to the next not really appreciating each gift. We started to limit the gifts and put them in larger boxes. The kids had more fun playing with the empty boxes than any of the presents. We would see how high we could stack them. Then we started to decorate the boxes into a building (either house, barn, garage, etc.); cutting out windows and doors. We did this for years and all the kids absolutely loved doing this....and it occupied them for hours!! The boxes lasted for months. We started to go to stores and get empty TV, Refrig, Stove, etc. boxes. Very cheap and everlasting fun memories.

There are a few things to consider here. First, the goal of the toy companies is to sell toys. We cannot blame them for doing everything that they can to sell toys. If they decided to stop advertising to children, they would stop selling toys, and thus be forced to lay people off. Therefore, they will continue to advertise to children. As a parent, if we disagree with these methods, we can either not purchase toys from those manufacturers or we can restrict our children from watching shows with commercials directed at them.
 
This brings us to our second consideration. Networks do not transmit television shows to entertain us. Their money comes from advertisers purchasing spots during their programming. The shows are just something to keep people interested and watching so they can be bombarded by these commercials. To this end, they have become quite good at judging their target audience. During a children’s show, the target audience is kids. Although some parents might sit down and watch TV with their children, most sit their child in front of the TV rather than hire a babysitter, or spend time playing with them. Although this may seem like a good idea since parents have so little time with all that needs to be done, it will expose the children to commercials. We cannot blame the network for that. They need to make their money somehow. As parents, if we disagree with these methods, we can keep our children from watching channels with advertising directed at them. Better yet, cancel your cable subscription altogether. This will protect the entire family from one of the largest barrages of advertising they face every day. My family has not had TV for almost fifteen years now. If you must have your child babysat by the boob toob, throw in a DVD, as you then have only minimal advertising to worry about. However, even movies bombard both children and adults alike with product endorsements.

However, even stronger than commercial advertising is word-of-mouth advertising for children. The toy of the moment will still be advertised to your child even if you destroy every TV set in your neighborhood. Friends will get it, and peer pressure will kick in. Children learn from watching their parents try to keep up with the Jones’. If their friends have it, then they will want it. Ultimately, it comes down to how they are raised by parents and society.
 
To teach our kids how to not be swayed by commercials, we need to learn to overcome being affected by advertising ourselves. Our society is built on owning possessions. It is how we judge our own worth. I wish I can say that I have risen above commercialism myself, but I still want to eat out at least once a week, to have a nicer house, better Christmas decoration, more toys than my neighbors. I still want a Corvette. However, what I should really be wanting is to spend more time doing things with the people I love.
 
Advertising will continue to be around until it stops working. Children will be exposed to it either directly or indirectly. There is nothing we can do about that outside of locking them in a closet. What we can try to do is to change what is important to them from physical objects to relationships. This can be accomplished by showing them the love and joy that can come from a close family who does things together and spends time with friends. Don’t forget your own childhood, where the best gift was spending the night at a friend’s house, and the best toy was a nicely shaped stick, or a refrigerator box. Good luck, and have a wonderful family holiday.

Copied : The Toy Industry Association has responded with a firm defense of current marketing practices, asserting that children "are a vital part of the selection process."

They should hold their heads in shame, if they think their practices are "important".. They must be forced out of their Ivory Towers and actually see things as they are, even communicate with the people...

But the parents must also fulfill their obligations and duties...