I Want One of Those!

Every parents has heard it, and most more than once. The television is on, your child(ern) is planted in front of it, and a commercial comes on. Never turning their head, or acknowledging you in any way, they start pleading for the item being advertised.

Begging. Whining. Bargaining. Throwing a fit.

It's just part of being an parent, teaching our children that they don't need everything that is advertised. That what is advertised probably isn't even as much fun as it looks. By the time most children are as old as Will, nearly five, this is a lesson they have already learned.

The problem in our household is that we've never had cable. When Will watches TV it is movies we've purchased or are public network station that doesn't allow advertising. Steve does watch TV shows at night, but their nothing Will is interested in and they don't have advertisements geared toward children.

I hadn't given in much thought until today. We came in from lunch and I hit the computer. Steve went to chill in front of the TV and Will followed him. Steve is surfing the channels when I hear Will yell, "No. Go back, Papa."

"Will, that wasn't a show. It was an infomercial."

"No, Papa. Go back. I want to see. It was a commercial."

After much bickering back and forth, Steve returned to the infomercial. Every few minutes I would hear; "I want one, Papa." "Look, a kid is using it." "I said no Will." "Please, Papa." "Can I have one." "Will's a good boy." "No, Will."

I was laughing so hard I almost fell out of the chair. Oh, the circumstances were humorous, but the kicker was what the infomercial was for. A mop.

Not every child's fantasy present.