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February 2009 
Access: Public
Our family has been very blessed with raising our children slightly out of the plugged in culture. We started home schooling our son when he was 7 allowing us to do more as a family. We moved part of our work schedules home so we could be with him more, eat together and share our lives more fully. Moving to Kauai in 2003 was another way for us to unplug our family. We think it has made a difference in our son’s ability to be more present. We still deal with the consumer culture. Our children still want far more things than I ever though I needed at their age. Its an interesting world we live in this consumption culture. I don’t see how it can be sustainable forever.
I found a great article at Ode online about a parents desire to save her children from consumerism. Here is the beginning of the article. The rest is available by following the link.
My struggle to save my kids from consumer culture
A war is raging between parents trying to raise children and corporate America trying to raise customers. As a parent of three children, I think I’m losing, or at least losing my mind. I’ve tried to educate my children about our materialistic society and how our family values differ from those of a culture of consumption. My kids, however, want more, buy more and throw away more.
I’ve decided advertising is my biggest enemy. Thanks to ads, my kids won’t take no, no, no for an answer and instead nag, nag, nag. Advertising targeted to children in the United States is estimated at more than $16.8 billion annually, over twice what it was in 1992.
