As Seen on TV
Maybe it was the home shopping I watched while pregnant, but my 5-year-old daughter is very susceptible to television advertising.
We generally watch educational television programming, but aside from PBS, even that is riddled with commercials aimed at both kids and adults.
Lately, my daughter is digging AquaGlobes, glass bulbs that slowly water your plants while also looking very artistic and pretty. Is she attracted to the shiny glass or embarrassed that our plants aren’t thriving?
Her previous fascination was with those plastic bags that vacuum seal your clothing and linens into shrunken bundles. We didn’t buy those either, but I did contemplate the state of my closet.
It could be worse. She could be wanting expensive toys or Sounds of the 80s CD sets. Maybe she’s just preparing for a highly organized life in which closets are clutterfree and plants are well sodden.
Or maybe it was all that home shopping television.
Susan Simpson
Nick Jonas, my daughter loves you …. and other important life lessons
I’m taking my daughter to the upcoming Jonas Brothers concert. I know, I know. It’s a splurge.
My husband’s already mentioned the cost to me several times. (He calls them the “Donut Brothers.” He just doesn’t understand.) But I want to indulge Katie, 13, a little in what has teetered between a youthful crush and a small-time obsession. (Afterall, we missed the Hannah Montana concert. Yes, I’m still a little miffed at the whole experience of trying to buy those elusive seats.)
So, pricey, yes. But this is something she will remember when she gets older.
She’s excited. Her friends are excited.
But not everyone has tickets to this exciting summer concert. So, Katie’s friends enlisted her help recently when a local radio station was having a call-in to win Jonas Brothers tickets. You just had to be the 100-and-something caller to win.
Easy enough.
She checked with me first. That was sweet. …. I said it was OK.
So she and her little sister, Kaci, pitched in to start calling, and I went on about my business.
A little later Katie came back and asked, “Is it costing money if I stay on the phone?” No, it’s a local call.
She was relieved, explaining that Kaci had been waiting on the phone for 15 minutes, but the line was busy. …
… It took a few seconds, and then I began to chuckle and explained to her that if the line is busy, you have to hang up and call again.
“oh, man,” she said.
Needless to say, she didn’t win more tickets. …
– Linda Lynn
