Ok so Easter has come and gone and it was another season of unbridled consumerism out there. The amount of chocolate and other candies, the eggs, the toys, the baskets, the well everything. How much is too much for kids. Do they really need to have 5 baskets filled with 180 plastic eggs  that were filled with various candies and other goodies. Do we really need to instill into them that what they get and how much they get define how much we love them?
   What happened to the days when children played with toys that weren't being pitched at them from every angle. Look I have a two year old toddler and she is not allowed to watch TV channels with commercials. I don't want her to define herself by what mass media tells her she should be.  
  I wonder when we became such an entitled society, that parents will spend thousands of dollars on birthday parties for the child just so they will have had the biggest party in their circle of friends. What happened to the days of pin the tail on the donkey, blind mans bluff and other games that have been erased and replaced with dj's and bounce houses and pony rides and other silly things. Why are we doing this to our kids? What is wrong with a similar life? Where families would go for walks on warm evenings and the parents would share their knowledge of the stars or of the things they passed by on the walk. Now its hurry hurry to cram as much into their heads so that when they start kindergarten they are ahead of the class. Where did this showmanship creep up in society.
   I want my little one to be a child; to enjoy the things around her in the way only a child can. While I am teaching her the alphabet, numbers, colors and such its in a fun way. When we go to the store we might decide that its the day to find yellow things and then we point out yellow foods. Or we count how many steps is it to the swing. This summer we are going to just play in the garden and hope that she will see how much fun working with nature is. We plan to go camping, in a tent mind you as that is more fun. I want her to be able to grow up and have a sense of self worth that was not dictated to her by others. Right now she likes dresses and if tomorrow she wanted camo pants that would be OK. I don't want her to be a pretty little princess cause shes not. She is a little girl who should grow up at a pace not dictated by societal pressures.
  Are we doing our kids any favors with all the pressures that we put on them. In school the peer pressure alone is enough, but at least in my state there are tons of tests that they have to take to make sure that the school is doing its job. Tell that isn't pressure on kids. Why have we stripped them of their innocence. Have you seen the clothes that are coming out for kids these days. I have seen clothes for little girls that I wouldn't let a teenager wear let alone a four or two year old wear.   Why do we stand around and let cosmetic companies pressure our daughters into wearing make up at earlier and earlier ages. Seriously Hello Kitty lip gloss is pretty much aimed at younger girls.
   What I want and what I am working for with my little one is a less materialistic existence. Her life will not end if she does not have her own ipad or iPhone( again what child really needs those). She does not need to have a TV in her room. Heck its a battle enough with the main TV why would I want to invite that into her room. I want her to be surrounded by books and creative things that stimulate her to explore the world not take some shows word for it. I want her to live; to go out into nature and the world and be able to stand on her own feet. I want for her to define herself to herself and be proud of who she is. That is what I want for her.