You know when you go to Target and you already have a basket full of things that you don’t need. And you are about to check out with your kid in tow, and it hits you. All of the junk food in the check out lane! Sure there are some almonds mixed in there so it doesn’t look all bad. But really, the intent here is the impulse buy. Or, as parents call it, buy it so our kids will stop bugging us. It is not accident that the baby bottle pops are on the very bottom row – eye level with your loving child that is about to turn him into a holy terror in 5-4-3-2-1 ….
So, the 2.0 version of this problem we face in America – the in-app purchases. Sure you can get this app – it’s free. You want that one – go for it! Oh, all your friends are playing this one – OK, you can have that one too. (I am not here to judge parenting styles or to have people judge mine – so please don’t tell me I let my kids have too many apps!)
And then after they download, things are going pretty good. They are winning. They are competing with their friends, having fun. Who can get to the highest level first? Who can win the game first? etc, etc, etc …
Then it hits. BOOM! BEST DEAL OF THE CENTURY, BUY 5 GAZILLION GEMS FOR $9.99 ONLY AVAILABLE FOR THE NEXT 5 SECONDS! And just like that candy bar at Target, the begging does not stop. Please, please, please … I have the money. Can I get it? No. No. No.
Tonight I had one of my kids hanging outside the bathroom door, waiting for me to get out so that he could beg me some more. After this going on for entirely too long, I did what any good mom would do … you know what I’m going to say, don’t you? And if you say you have never used this tactic, I don’t believe you. I just don’t.
Go ask your dad …
the b. list 