In the corner of my daughters' playroom, we have two crates full of books that we read together. Some books we have bought because my daughters became familiar with the characters through television or movies, and we buy the books for further exposure. In a way, this is good because it does encourage reading and a love of reading. Other books have led us to purchase toys, clothes, dvds and many other products because my daughters love the characters. My daughters have always enjoyed watching Sesame Street, so when we're at a store and they see Elmo cups, toys, clothes, or books, they identify that product with the familiarity and comfort they feel with the familiar products. Likewise, when we have a favorite book, and realize there are also dvds, or tv shows, toys and other products we make those purchases too.
So it has taken four years, but now my entire house is covered in characters from books, tv and movies. We have elmo dishes, Princess sheets, character clothing, and toys toys toys. Looking back, we have spent a great deal of money on these products. I understand that the corporations' goal is to make money, but is there a positive side? Do these products encourage kids to love reading? And if so, isn't it worth forking over some cash?
I don’t think this is a bad thing. If you hadn’t bought Sesame Street products you would have just bought generic things like striped cups or something. You are probably spending a little bit more but if it makes your kids happy isn’t that okay? The fact that you keep buying products, like DVDs, based off of a book you like is starting to further your kids interest. I think that’s important to inspire kids to want to keep learning, even if it is just watching DVDs. They are learning to explore a topic and search for information on that topic. Luckily, this is a show that people sometimes consider educational rather than like Barbie or something.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you’re saying, and I appreciate your point of view on this subject because you do have children. I believe it is the parent’s role to determine if the merchandise is appropriate for their children. I assume when you mentioned buying Elmo cups and what not you were the actual buyer? In that case as a parent you can dictate the majority of material that passes through your house. There are plenty of educational books, movies, and TV shows, like Sesame Street, that the additional merchandise can further the child’s learning. Dora the explorer is another example a widely merchandised brand, but it teaches young children Spanish and a variety of other important values. Not all marketing is bad and it’s ok to make a profit off a success.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is worth it. I am not sure how much my input counts because i am not a mother yet but i have a nephew. He loved the Love Bug, then Spiderman, then Transformers, and it goes on. I used these characters as rewards. If he would practice his sounds, writing letters and words, then i would get a book of that character (if there was one). I suppose these characters are great for positive reinforcement. Also it is America, nothing here is sold without a profit in some form (i.e. tax breaks). I do find that if you only buy literature of favorite characters then kids can grow to be closed-minded with other literature. If in moderation and used wisely it can be a great benefit in my opinion.
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