Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

LOL! Seriously, good luck with that!!!

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

We don't have a TV either but my DD still has learned who the Disney princesses are, who Dora and Diego are, who the Super Friends are, who Sponge Bob is, and more. This is all from other kids.

sounds like a loser in the making, DD will hate public schools

LOL. DD has been in school for 3 years and she's a total social butterfly personality. And oh yeah, we don't go to public school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All. the. time.

My SIL has to detail how healthy her kids eat. She will tell you everything they ate the day before, meal-by-meal. It is smug and boring.

My SIL does the same and ALWAYS mentions that she is sooo glad that she is a SAHM. Turned into a drinking game for me and DH

This is an EXCELLENT idea! Our version will be: drink whenever SIL mentions how much money they spent on X. Guess we will need to stay over a ILs house though because we will be loaded!

SAH Smug Mom does that, as well. Incorporates how great it is to be a SAHM into EVERY single conversation.

"I'm soo glad that I'm a SAHM, we can have a dog!"
"I'm soo glad that I'm a SAHM, I give homemade gifts, they are soo much more thoughtful."
"I'm soo glad that I'm a SAHM, it doesn't matter what time the cable guy shows up!"

Blah, blah, blah.

Apparently, OP has met my sister. Ugh.

How is she smug?

Let me count the ways;

Encourages her now 8 year old DS to only have girl friends, as girls are much better behaved and clean and quiet.

Thinks school conferences should be longer than 15 minutes - wants to hear more about her child. She volunteers in his class so she can get more info and observe him in all of his glory.

And, the most recent: had to leave a family gathering with my screaming toddler, mid melt down. She watched the whole thing and then called me telling that she's never seen such a display and that perhaps my kid was having a medical issue. Suggested I seek help for him.

She is in general, smug. These are but a few examples. She's even smug about her DH.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went to a birthday party this weekend for a classmates of my DD. They had a character come by as a surprise ("the princess and the frog" princess, the name is escaping me right now) and there was one mom there who made it known her DD had NO idea who that was because she is not exposed to Disney, media, or licensed products. It was such an odd thing to boast about and I found it really rude. She went up to her DD and said "this is just a fun dress up person who have a silly time with." It was so over the top and I couldnt get it out of my mind. Anyone run into a mom whos a little too proud of herself for some random parenting decision? Please share about similar crazies out there!

I know this mom! Or I know a mom just like it.

There is no way...NO WAY to not know who Dora is, but we went to a party and this mom was like, "Oh look at the little girl with brown hair and her little blue monkey friend"

Seriously? On what world does your 3 year old NOT know Dora? At least after the 3289031821908 birthday parties we've been to?

Well, yeah, it IS actually possible to avoid Dora and other mass marketed characters. And in some countries marketing to children is actually, gasp!, restricted!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

Don't let others discourage you, PP. I feel strongly that the stories that feed my child's mind should be of the highest possible caliber, so I am one of those crazy moms who limits media consumption and "characters."

I agree it is impossible for most families, because if you stick your kid in daycare then preschool, then public, you lose control over what they are exposed to from friends and from classroom materials. I kept mine with a like-minded nanny, then sent them to a character-free preschool, and they are about to start a character-free elementary program. I know others who have stayed home partly for this reason. I may seem like a silly priority for some, but if you want to, you can make it work.

When my then-3-year-old saw Dora at the white House Egg Roll 2 years ago, she yelled, "Look! It's the girl from my pull-ups!" Only assocition for her. She is now 5 and in the princess phase, but the only Disney princess she knows is Merida (an intentional choice on my part). Other than that, we look for stories about princesses and queens who display bravery, sacrifice, leadership, and--most importantly--ownership of their choices. Her peer group is friends from her school and we have had only one princess birthday party so far. Her brother is right there too.

You can think this is a stupid or wasteful priority, but if you think it's impossible, you're wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

No, the chances aren't pretty high. Characters are on clothing, toys, valentine day cards, birthday invitations, gift bags, books at the library, glittery tattoos, hair bows, lunch boxes....It takes one person, telling a child one time, that is Dora or Spiderman and they will know it. Doesn't mean they watch the shows but they will know it is a fictional character.

exactly. it's the same way you probably know what Breaking Bad is, or who Mindy Kaling is, even without TV-- except times 20, because Mindy Kaling isn't on lunchboxes.

I am a single dad of a toddler, and there is a mother in my building that I try to avoid at all costs. Every single thing she says comes back around to my daughter not having a mother.

"Oh, look at your pretty yellow dress! Your daddy must not know all girls love pink." Then to me, "I know she doesn't have a mother so you have no way of knowing this, but pink is the way to go. Any time there's a pink option, pick that. And if a store doesn't have pink, ask."

She actually believes she's helping me. Never mind that my daughter picked out her own yellow dress when we were in the store.

The woman does this EVERY TIME we run into each other in the elevator. I have taken to giving my daughter piggy back rides and taking the stairs to avoid her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

LOL! Seriously, good luck with that!!!

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

We don't have a TV either but my DD still has learned who the Disney princesses are, who Dora and Diego are, who the Super Friends are, who Sponge Bob is, and more. This is all from other kids.

sounds like a loser in the making, DD will hate public schools

Anonymous wrote:Went to a birthday party this weekend for a classmates of my DD. They had a character come by as a surprise ("the princess and the frog" princess, the name is escaping me right now) and there was one mom there who made it known her DD had NO idea who that was because she is not exposed to Disney, media, or licensed products. It was such an odd thing to boast about and I found it really rude. She went up to her DD and said "this is just a fun dress up person who have a silly time with." It was so over the top and I couldnt get it out of my mind. Anyone run into a mom whos a little too proud of herself for some random parenting decision? Please share about similar crazies out there!

The most common crazies I meet are like you, obsessing over what other parents do and say with their children long after the moment has passed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

LOL! Seriously, good luck with that!!!

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

Not if your kid goes to school.

We don't have TV, and I'm not a big Disney fan, so I didn't buy a lot of character stuff, but at age 5 my kid knew, from playing with toys, and talking about who had what on their shirt, shoes, backpack and underwear (yes, underwear, no doors in preschool bathroom), and asking me to read him books at the bookstore, the names and a little bit about the characters. Maybe not as much as the kids who watched the shows a lot, but enough to know that that was Spiderman or Spongebob.

If he didn't happen to know a character and asked about it, then I'd tell the truth if I knew it "That's Dora, she's a character on a TV show", or encourage him to get the information somewhere else "You know, I don't know which princess that is. I bet (birthday girl) knows, why don't you ask her?" I certainly wouldn't treat a character's name like a state secret.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All. the. time.

My SIL has to detail how healthy her kids eat. She will tell you everything they ate the day before, meal-by-meal. It is smug and boring.

My SIL does the same and ALWAYS mentions that she is sooo glad that she is a SAHM. Turned into a drinking game for me and DH

This is an EXCELLENT idea! Our version will be: drink whenever SIL mentions how much money they spent on X. Guess we will need to stay over a ILs house though because we will be loaded!

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

No, the chances aren't pretty high. Characters are on clothing, toys, valentine day cards, birthday invitations, gift bags, books at the library, glittery tattoos, hair bows, lunch boxes....It takes one person, telling a child one time, that is Dora or Spiderman and they will know it. Doesn't mean they watch the shows but they will know it is a fictional character.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

LOL! Seriously, good luck with that!!!

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

We don't have a TV either but my DD still has learned who the Disney princesses are, who Dora and Diego are, who the Super Friends are, who Sponge Bob is, and more. This is all from other kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

LOL! Seriously, good luck with that!!!

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

If your 3 year old son didn't know who Spiderman is and you said "Oh! You mean the man in the red pants and silly boots?"

Well, then you ARE smug and annoying.