My husband and I took out daughter out of school one day last week and went to the court house to cast our votes. I’m an election judge this year so we voted early. (Early voting will also reduce complaining about the line.)
They will allow your child in the voting booth with you and you can show them how you go about choosing your candidates.
Ainsley and I have been going to vote together since she was two and we arrived at the government building and she said, “Where’s the boats? You said we were going boating.”
She’ll remember this year specifically because this year, we got to vote for Hillary Clinton. I also voted for her BFF’s mom, who was running for county attorney on my ballot (even though she wasn’t on my party’s ticket).
No matter who you’re voting for – take your daughter to the polls and show her one of the more effective ways for women to be powerful.
Democracy is what we make it through our participation. Teach her to participate.
I’m an election judge today – getting my Patriotic High – read more about it on Blog Fabulous.
The Christmas toys are already out on the shelves, the Christmas decor displays are already out. This is causing people premature Holiday panic. Don’t stock up on sleeping pills and Xanex just yet.
I’m committed to not putting a single gift on a credit card.
{{{gasp?}}}
No, silly. I haven’t put any Christmas gifts on a credit card for years – literally. My children never go “without.”
I’ve got skills. This year I’m committed to sharing them with you.
I’d like to help you figure out how to provide The Best Christmas EVER for your kids – infused with meaning, fun and joy – without going over budget.
We Thinking Parents can also do it Without feeding anti-girl advertising. The only way to make anti-girl marketers stop their hyper-sexual advertising is to STARVE them.
Tip #1?
Start now. I already have several toys stashed away for both of my kids.
Enter the Bloggy Giveaways next week to stock up on gifts for everyone you love.
Look – if you think you can’t make it through a holiday without whipping out your credit card or saving up $500. . .
Thank Goodness! You’re wrong!
Subscribe to my RSS feed and I’ll share my thrifty economic tips and we’ll have a very Merry Christmas that doesn’t only empower your girls – it will empower YOU!
Oh and for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah or Festivus – the same principles of economy and joy apply.
I just read my “marketing bio.” If you’re reading this Empowering Girls website then I’m guessing this is also your “marketing bio.” We’re the new purchasing demographic called “Thinking Parents” and we’re raising the marketing target called “Smarty Kids.”
Our vulnerable spot where we’ll “spend heavily?” To keep our kids “safe and happy” and there are 32 million of us.
Straight from a press release:
Smarty Kids: there is a growing population of kids today that we call Smarty Kids:
* these kids are tech-savvy and appreciate substance to their media encounters.
* Smarty Kids benefit from their parents’ dual income and digital awareness.
* they enjoy learning from experience and are physically and socially active.
Thinking Parents: those moms and dads entering the crucial elementary to tween years when peers begin competing for influence.
• 32 Million moms are online
• Parental Supervision on the computer is high
• They spend heavily on their tween to keep them safe and happy
What’s on the mind of a Smarty Kid:
• Having the coolest gadgets and games
• The pressure of fitting in with their peers
• Mild environmental and ethical issues
• Being entertained and engaged
Smarty Kids on technology and media:
• Have available access to technology and media platforms, with some having personal technology in their bedrooms.
• Access a computer both at home and at school and spend more time online than any other childhood group.
• Interact with more forms of media than their peers, from paper and ink to television to online to mobile.
Our average income is between $56 and $76, we’re likely college graduates, live in cul-de-sacs and we’re upward bound. We’re likely between 35 – 44.
I often hear this from frustrated parents: “It won’t matter if I write the company or if I refuse to buy the product. I’m just one parent.”
Except that you’re not. You’re 1 of 32 million Thinking Parents with 2.5 Smarty Kids, who is taking the time to let the company know what products you want to spend your money on.
Want that toy kitchen in a neutral green (as opposed to the pink) so your toddler boy can learn to be a good husband and father and oh, I don’t know – feed himself without growing up thinking an ability to cook to feed one’s own self makes one gay? Write the company and tell them, “I’m a Thinking Parent and I would buy this for my two male Smarty Kids if it were in green or yellow.”
This press release signals a changing tide in the children’s toy and media market. This Christmas, with it’s more stressful economy, will also work in the Thinking Parents’ favor. Rather than wantonly spending money on every whim our children have, we’ll be more choosy about the message, about the quality, about the meaning and the profit margin. The toy & media companies are poised to work harder.
They know we’re out here making conscious decisions and they are willing to meet our values to get our money.
What questions will you be asking of the companies you spend your Christmas budget with?
Photo Source: This Smarty Kid is named Sarah and she lives and breathes soccer. Her mom Ellen Gerstein is a Thinking Parent over at “Confessions of an It Girl.
