BabyGirl Has Caught the Fever
The “Keep Up With the Jones’” Fever!
I walked in from work today and BabyGirl ran me over at the door:
BabyGirl: Ma, guess what?!?!?!?!
Single Ma: *grouchy* Dag, can I get in the house first? What?!
BG: [insert neighbor's name] and them have a new flat screen TV…and it’s BIG too! And they have Verizon Vios!
SM: *scrunching my nose* So?
BG: Did you know Vios can make you feel like you’re at the movies???????!!!!! And why don’t we have a flat screen?
SM: *unmoved by her excitement* No, I didn’t know that. And uh, cuz I don’t want a flat screen. What’s wrong with the 32″ in the living room and the 25″ in your bedroom?
BG: *pause to think* Nothing. But mom, you should see it! It’s so cool! I think we should get one too!!
SM: *side eye* How about you ask [insert neighbor's name] if you can watch TV at their house every night.
BG: HA HA HA Mom, I’m serious. Do you wanna go see it??
SM: See what?
BG: Their TV!!! It’s sooooooo BIG and they have, like, 1,000 channels!!!
SM: *gas face* Where’s my child?
BG: *continues to beg me to see the neighbor’s TV*
SM: *change the mental channel to ignore*
After years of implanting financial responsibility, she has finally caught the fever.
Lawd, what I’z g’on do?!?!? LOL
Work to achieve, not to acquire.
And always, BE FABULOUS!
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TVs are such a sneaky form of seduction. As a woman you don’t really expect to be taken in by them, but I identify with BG a little bit. I am hopelessly drawn to them when ever I visit Best Buy and Costco. But um… I still have a 32″ tube TV
Hi SingleMa! This is a great opportunity for you to flex some of your math muscle with Baby Girl. Lets say your 32″ TV sells for $200 today at Best Buy and your neighbors large flat screen sells for $2,000 - ask BG if the new flat screen TV is really 10 times better than the set already in your home? If you gave her $2,000 today, would she really want to spend it all on a flat screen TV? Or would she be smarter to pay just $200 for a 32″ TV and use the other $1,800 for other wants and desires? How many ways could she entertain herself with $1,800 in her pocket?
Then I would point out that flat screen TVs are the energy hog no-no of the 2000’s. Equivilent to the Aerosal hairspay users in the 1980s who punched a hole in our ozone layer. Tell her that her neighbor should have waited until the Earth friendly LED flat screen TVs came out before investing in one.
Don’t know if either argument will really work with a teenager - but you can try!
I have a 32″ tube in the spare bed room and a 20″ flat screen in my bedroom…….UHM honestly had it not been for the need of space in my bed room that 32″ would have still been my only tv!! Quite frankly…….I’m not impressed with HDTV or flat screens. Personally since I’m from the hood I prefer a 32″ tube, where I live I see “self helpers” (read thief’s) selling flat screens all the time…but you NEVER see them with a 32″ tube under their arms!
I’m so glad my child is too young to notice what other people have and compare…I think this is a natural part of adolescence, but I’m not looking forward to that at all.
I do like the look of the flat screens, but I’m not dying to have one. I have a newer house with nice furnishings and a large family room where one could go perfectly (I currently have a regular 36 inch tv there), so whenever my boy cousins come over, they usually manage to ask not if but WHEN I’m going to get one. My response to them is when THEY buy me one.
Ever heard the quote, “Rich People Have Big Libraries…Poor People Have Big TVs”? Now my book collection is another story…LOL.
*guilty* i have a 51 inch in my living room and i love it, especially during football season…it makes me feel like i am AT the game!!!!!
Hm, am I glad my daughter does not like to visit other people’s houses, or I would be in trouble around here.
On the other hand I gave into a temptation and got us both laptops for X-mas/birthdays
hers is a bit more souped up, granted she covered half of the cost with the money she saved from her birthday - that is the only thing she wants right now-I should consider myself lucky that is all she wants
Oh god this reminds me of myself about 10 years ago…I was jealous of what my friends had…and so my dad said “You want it so bad? Go get a job and get it yourself!”
Hey Single Ma,
Ask BG if she has seen the bill for the TV and is it paid for?
If it’s paid for praise yur neigbor for their prudency and let Bg know as soon as she gets her ducks in the same row, she can have that TV.
If it’s not paid for ask her if she thinks they way they are handling the purchase the way she wants to handle her purchase of the TV.
Then you can really see how she is thinking or if she’s just being taken over by the emotional response of the neighbors new toy.
yeah i must admit those tv’s are very sweet to look at but my Sony 36 inch tube tv still works, and i inherited it from my mom, who bought it in 1990!!!
As a teenager it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. We all go through that phase. I know you will impart widsom like only you can.
Is BG still working? If so she can buy one for her room. Am sure as soon as she realized how many paychecks it will take she will quickly change her mind.
I say use this as a teaching opportunity like Quia said. Tell her that yes this TV is great, but would she rather have it than say the vacation you all are taking or a month or two of rent etc.
Ha! Send her over to my house- I watch DVDs on a 15″ laptop and have 0 channels. A week here and she’ll think her 25″ is heaven!!
Of course when I was her age I “had” to have a TV in my room (although it was only 14″ and had 9 channels- one of those was in Irish!)
Ask her if she wants to pitch in for half of the TV??!! LOL! I admit that I have one, but I waited, did my research on the best model, scrimped and saved and asked for Best Buy gift cards for Christmas/Birthdays for a year and a half, and then waited for the model I wanted to go on sale, had a 10% off coupon, and STILL haggled with the store - and PAID CASH.
I feel the pressure too. My girlfriend and her husband just bought one also. I think its 52″ or bigger. They have it mounted on their wall which is perfect for when the kids come down the stairs with their ooooo mommy she did this to me or she said that to me. I think it perfect for them because they do all the big games. Girl come over I’m grilling before the game comes on and we can go in on (insert alcoholic beverage of choice). LOL It would be a waste of money for me because I’m always at their house anyway to watch the good stuff.
But its still pretty cool.
Gosh, I have been drooling over this 48″ Samsung for over a month now. Still waiting for the price to drop just a bit more.