Times, They are a Changin'

Well, as I mentioned previously, I am caring for our oldest grandchild, Harmony, this week as her sitter is on vacation. It is quite an experience. I have been noticing how things are different for those growing up right now, and being with Harmony has really shined a light on that subject for me.

Where I seem to notice it most is the consumerism. Remember? She is only three years old. It catches me a little off guard when she asks to go to the store to buy something. I don't recall any of my children doing that at that age, and I know darned well I didn't do that at that age. She thought her little play earrings were broken, but I managed to fix them. Before that, though, she said, "Oh well. We go to the store and buy new ones." What?

The real big one that caught my attention was yesterday. She loves McDonald's. Well, this Nana does not go to McDonald's, ever. It is a moral choice that I will not get into here. I am not quite up for controversial subjects of that nature at this time; maybe at a later date. Anyway, she wanted to go there, and I reminded her that Nana doesn't go to McDonald's. Of course she was upset. I told her that I would make her something to eat. She said, "My don't want to eat here. My want to go out." Again, I say, "WHAT?" What three year old in times past ever even considered that going out to eat was an option?

We are such a fast paced society. Everything is on the fly. Our kids, and ourselves for that matter, have SO MANY options. It's no wonder we are all in debt. It's no wonder our children start out in debt. In light of this concept becoming more and more evident to me, I discovered a very interesting book. It is titled, Generation Debt: Why Now is a Terrible Time to be Young and is written by Anya Kamenetz. I am not finished with the book yet, but it is very well written. I would definitely recommend you read it. Anyone from 17 years old on could benefit, in my humble opinion.