The Power of Advertizing

You can't doubt the power of advertizing, explicit or subliminal, in society today. My little people are of the age when they are no longer content with Treehouse television being the extent of their viewing options. Earlier this year we opted to add some shows from YTV and TVO. With these new stations came the introduction of my nine and six year old to the power of commercials. Never before had they whined for the latest toy or begged for a certain game. They had remained oblivious to the fads and trends in Canadian toy stores. Now, with Christmas ads a-plenty they are being tempted and taunted by all the bells and whistles used by advertizing agencies.

Gone are the days when we could cruise the aisles of the grocery and department stores without one of my little people reciting the benefits of night cream, the volumizing properties of shampoo and the stain removing power of laundry detergent. Amusing at the best of times, and nauseating at the worst of times my offspring can repeat, verbatim, several ads they have seen on television. You might say they watch too much. They don't, honestly. However, their rapt attention to commercials speaks to the power of those 30 seconds of persuasion. My concern, as a parent and an educator, is how to instill an ability in children, to think critically about what they see and hear? I talk to them about what they watch and caution them against believing whatever they see on television, but how do I know I am getting the message through to them? Time will tell, and until then I'll ignore my youngest's suggestions to start fighting my wrinkles now, while I still can.....it's too late to avoid gray hair, television advertizing has seen to that!