Seriously. If you have children and Christmas in your life, here’s some help in the gift-giving sanity department.

CCFC Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays 
Suggestions and personal stories from staff, board members, and friends of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. Includes tips from CCFC members (add yours, too).

TRUCE 2008-2009 Toys, Play & Young Children Action Guide
A must-read before shopping. “This guide is intended to help adults promote children’s creative and constructive play by making informed choices about toys, and by working with others at home, school, and in the community to promote positive play and toys.”

Simplify the Holidays
From the Center for a New American Dream. The Alternative Gift Registry “makes it easy to choose non-material, homemade, second-hand, and environmentally-friendly gifts.”

Cool Mom Picks 2008 Holiday Gift Guide
Advertorial free. Thoughtful, high quality gifts — many supporting smaller companies, indie designers, and moms working from home. For toys, see the Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide (”. . . we hope that you’re willing to invest in better quality toys, even if that means having fewer of them. How many rattles does one kid need anyway?”)

Guide to Safer Children’s Products
From Healthy Legacy, this guide helps you avoid purchasing products with harmful synthetic chemicals commonly used in children’s products. With handy take-along wallet card.

2008 MediaWise Parents Guide to Video Games
For anyone planning to purchase a video game for a child this year. The Video Game Buying Guide includes good choices and games to avoid.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Toy Safety Tips
CPSC press release lists top five toy hazards and information on how to get recalled product notices sent to your email.

Best Toys for the Holidays 2008
From the Not Quite Crunchy Parent and friend of PEM M.C. Milker.

Help make the Ultimate Guide to Guides even better: Add your links in the comments.

Photo courtesy Jeff Belmonte.

I’ve never considered myself a mommy blogger even though I am a mommy and a blogger. Seems that all mommy bloggers are (inaccurately) lumped into one big marketing demographic. With one voice and one opinion.

The mommy bloggers were recently credited (accurately) for convincing the makers of Motrin to remove a condescending, insulting online ad from the company’s website. No small feat.

Read the story from Lisa Belkin at the New York Times.

Critics have suggested that this story exists only in the mommy blogosphere-twitterverse echo chamber, which may or may not be true. But any time media messaging can be affected by those who pay attention — those who take a moment to see advertising with a critical eye — it’s a victory for all of us demanding reform.

PEM member Rhona alerted me to Parents, Kids, and the Media tonight at the Walker:

Build a better understanding of the role media plays in your family’s life with Daniel Bergin, media educator, independent filmmaker, award-winning television producer for Twin Cities Public television, and father of two. Get a behind-the-scenes look at his work, then connect with other parents in a discussion about effective tools for helping your child interpret the media more critically. Participants will receive a resource packet of useful tips for continuing the discussion at home.

I won’t be able to attend but if you go, drop me a line.

Reader Marsha was reading my mind when she commented on yesterday’s post about complaining when you can’t find appropriate children’s clothing:

In addition to voicing your concerns . . . remember that thrift stores are a great option. Not only can you find good, affordable clothing, but by shopping at thrift stores you’re not supporting multinational corporations, sweatshops, unfair labor practices, fuel consumption from transporting goods thousands of miles, etc.

I had already planned to write about thrift stores, prompted by something I saw in Sunday’s comics (of all places). You Can with Beakman & Jax is a syndicated column for kids that appears in our local paper. Kids write in with a question and they are answered with an experiment they can do.

You Can columnist Jok Church took the high road when he answered the question: What is a good makeover for a teenager?

I think it would be best to pass on to you the teachings of a personal style expert, Quentin Crisp . . . who always said style is “being yourself, but on purpose. Fashion is advertising. Style is you, intentionally.

Church continues with a thrift store experiment: Take a quarter of your school clothes budget, go to a thrift store and pull out everything you like. Write down a couple words describing why you like that piece of clothing. Go back to the clothes you chose and put back everything with a logo on the outside.

Logos advertise for the maker of the item. You should not wear a logo that shows unless that clothing maker pays you an advertising fee.

Not only does Church expose the clothing industry’s marketing machine that profits at the expense of a teen’s fragile sense of self-worth, he’s encouraging recycling. I love this man.

My girls have grown up on thrift-store shopping. At first we shopped at our local Goodwill because the boys and girls clothes are mixed together. We didn’t have to deal with that’s a boy’s sweatshirt! Now we’ve expanded to others shops. I love knowing that we’re not putting money into any corporate pockets, we’re lowering demand by not buying retail, and we’re not adding as much to our landfills.

And saving a lot of money.

Read also: Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry

by Tiffany, Nature Moms Blog

Childhood obesity is at an all time high and kids are killing each other over the newest technical gadget or fashion craze. Are these the after effects of too much commercialism? TV is encouraging a sedentary lifestyle that is seeing our kids developing habits that foster obesity.

Not only are TV programs monopolizing our children’s attention and imagination (or what’s left of it) but the commercials are too. Even if a child eventually loses interest in a program he’s watching the commercials keep him glued with boisterous messages and music promoting products and an image of what is hip or cool today.

Commercialism is everywhere making it very hard for parents to control. Visit your nearest theater and you are bombarded by commercials for the first 20 minutes of the show. Large companies “buy” placement in the movies and television shows to make their products look cool. I suspect cigarette companies do this. Commercialism is also in our schools and in “sponsored” educational materials sometimes given to our kids. I recently read about one school system that had McDonald’s coupons on the report cards. But what if you don’t want your children to accept blindly that these institutions and products are beneficial to us? How do we keep these values from infiltrating our households?

While this may seem monumental parents can play a significant and role in keeping commercialism at bay for their kids. Here are some ideas:

Teach by example. If you resist consumerism you will be able to teach with conviction to your kids the merits of resisting consumerism.

Sew your kids clothing and teach them to sew as well. This eliminates the logos and brands issues associated with store bought clothes and it teaches kids a valuable craft. Kids might also find they have a talent for designing. At 16 years old I remember making myself a vintage gown from a 1940s war era pattern. It is gorgeous and people raved over it…there was nothing like it available at stores and I LOVED that. Don’t sew? Take classes…at your local fabric store….its never too late. Your kids could also take classes.

Try turning off the TV for a week. Then try 2 weeks. Then have a discussion about the merits of having a TV when quality news and entertainment can be obtained elsewhere. I follow and unschooling philosophy as far as TV and movies go. I don’t have restrictions or limits but yet we don’t watch that much TV…the key is to provide alternatives that are vastly more fun and entertaining. Try this TV Free Family site for ideas.

Expose kids to other media – like art/surrealist films, art exhibits, public lectures on topics that might interest them. We are BIG on art in my house. We have all the supplies I could need for just about any project. This week my oldest painted a half dozen beautiful landscapes, he made several 3-D pictures, a Mardi Gras style mask for me, and a Pinata for his Dad for father’s day. All I did was supply him with the means. I have had to cover his bedroom floor in cheap scrap carpets because the paint gets EVERYWHERE!

(more…)

Sick and tired of the product placements seeping into everything your child watches on television?

So is the Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood, who got together other concerned organizations — children’s media watchdogs, public health advocates, consumer groups, and child advocacy groups, including Parents for Ethical Marketing — and wrote to the FCC asking the commission to adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding product placement and integrated marketing on television.

“The diversity and breadth of this coalition reflects the growing concern that marketers are hijacking television content and foisting branded propaganda on an unsuspecting public,” said [CCFC Director] Dr. [Susan] Linn.  “The rise of embedded advertising deprives parents of the ability to protect their children from unwanted marketing influences, threatens public health, and undermines democracy.” – Press release

Some facts from the letter:

– 69 percent of parents are concerned that their children were exposed to too many ads in TV programming;

– TV product placement revenue grew 33.7 percent to $2.9 billion and product placement occurrences rose 13 percent in 2007, with 25,950 placements in the top ten shows;

– Cable programming is even more saturated, with 163,737 occurrences in the top ten shows;

– On American Idol alone, there were 4,151 product placements in the first 38 episodes this year, and branded content jumped 19 percent to a total of 545 minutes, or 14 minutes per episode. 

By adopting the NPRM, parents, caregivers, and advocates will have the opportunity to let the FCC know what they think of integrated marketing; the FCC is required to take those comments into account when they consider new regulations.

Of course, some people think that, while it’s okay to look into the problem, nothing should really be done about it. They would like to see the FCC issue a Notice of Inquiry, which would only require an investigation. Nothing else. Let’s see, who would want to continue turning television shows into infomercials? I guess that would be the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).

But not to worry. Remember, one of the FCC commissioners just stated publicly that the FCC should issue the NPRM.

And when the FCC adopts the NPRM and it becomes open for public comment, I’ll let you know.

See also: Timeline: FCC and Integrated Marketing

UPDATE: FCC Is Urged To Clamp Down On Product Placement at Marketing Daily

Photo courtesy AndrewEich

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, fresh from a terrific speech at the National Conference on Media Reform, criticized the FCC’s inaction to safeguard children and asked for industry cooperation when he addressed the Media Institute on June 11.

While many of the steps Adelstein proposed concerned television programming, the V-chip and other blocking technologies, and ratings, he also addressed advertising directed at children. Two of his proposals:

Launch Embedded Advertising in Children’s Programming Proceeding. The Commission should release a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on sponsorship identification and embedded advertising. Specifically, it needs to solicit public comment on whether our existing rules governing commercials in children’s programming adequately promote the policy goals underlying the Children’s Television Act and the sponsorship ID rules. This is especially important with respect to embedded advertising in children’s programming.

Finalize Interactive Advertisement Targeting Children Proceeding. The Commission should quickly move on the 2004 Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on how to implement sensible restrictions on interactive ads targeting children. The Commission tentatively concluded that interactive ads targeting children should be banned. With the growing convergence of television and the Internet, we need to promulgate rules before interactive advertising becomes an established business model.

Emphasis mine. Adelstein also suggested that the FCC host a Summit on Protecting America’s Children to “encourage all stakeholders to bring their best ideas forward and develop best practices.”

In his speech, Adelstein acknowleged what Parents for Ethical Marketing and other organizations have been trying to get in front of the media-makers: that parents are tired of the fight.

In case you don’t know it already, many parents are feeling inundated by an array of media that are flooding their children’s minds with inappropriate material. Too many parents feel like they are losing control, and they’re frustrated by a seemingly relentless march of coarse material that is too violent, too sexual, too commercial or too unhealthy for their children. Messages or images their children are not ready to hear pop up in too many places for parents to easily control, from insensitively timed commercials during otherwise family-friendly programming to Internet ads and spam coming over the computer.

There is growing concern about unhealthful messages and images as well. . . . Many studies show the damaging effects of advertising on children’s food choices. Some of your companies have taken important steps, but there is far more to be done.

For parents, it’s like a game of whack-a-mole, with an increasing number of moles jumping up faster and faster. Too many parents suffer from a sense of exhaustion or futility. I suspect many of you share these concerns on a personal level, but many of you also work for powerful media companies that are helping this mole population to proliferate. . . .

I believe I speak for millions of parents when I say we’re overwhelmed, fed up and looking for help from the government and the industry alike.  

I would have been skeptical if I hadn’t heard Adelstein speak with such passion and conviction myself. We’ll be contacting his office to see how PEM members can participate in the rulemaking process.

Here’s to a little hopeful optimism!

My Dad seemed to know a lot about raising a daughter without ever picking up a book on the subject. He always let me know that he loved and approved of me and that he believed I could do anything. He still does.

My husband is the same kind of father to our daughters.

Today I am thankful for the wonderful father-daughter relationships that have touched my life.

Dads & Daughters promotes the power and potential of father-daughter relationships and is working to make the world safe and fair for our daughters. A great resource for anyone concerned about raising strong girls, here’s their new video that describes more about their mission:

Happy Father’s Day from Corporate Babysitter!