Bigger is Better?

I'm a little disturbed by a recent AT&T commercial. It is one featuring a grown man in a focus group of young children. Faster is better, bigger is better, doing two things at once is better. These themes disturb me because they involve children. In one of the commercials, the children are saying that a bigger treehouse is better because if you have a small one, you can't have a big screen tv. Do we really want our children to be consumed with the idea that bigger is better? Faster is better?

This is what is wrong with children these days. They want the latest and greatest electronic toys for Christmas and birthdays - not caring about the costs to their parents. My son has an iPod - not something I would want him to have at this age. He's only 10. But his father bought it for him and has hinted on more than one occasion that he would buy our son an iPad. Which is completely unnecessary at his age. I've told my son that he can save for an iPad if he really wants one - so that he knows the value of something he wants.

Maybe I raise my son the same way I was raised. He doesn't have a lot of video games and I don't go all out for Christmas for him. Yes, he is spoiled, but not to the extent some of these kids. He got a new Wii game (Just Dance 4), a custom made towel, a handmade Chewy doll, and a Lego set. He also got clothes and movies,  of course.

But he knows bigger isn't necessary. If you have something that works - use it. When it breaks or is no longer functional - then buy something better. For example - I kept my Ford Escape for years. I paid it off then kept it longer until I started to need to replace parts. It was no longer functioning as it should. With my commute, the gas mileage I was getting from my Escape was no longer outweighing the money I was saving from having paid it off.

Just my two cents.