While parents do make rules about deciding on the families’ purchase, very
often kids make up their own minds whenever they get to have their way. With
parents having very hectic work schedules, they often give in to their kids’
demands on guilt reasons or because they don’t have enough time to explain the
value to money to their children. Take your kids to South Extension, Noida
Sector 18 or even Sarojini Nagar market and see the rules being amended and
bended on an open-ended basis, thereby infecting you with even more stress.

Kids are exposed to numerous television commercials today but that doesn’t
suggest children who are not watching TV are not affected by the consumerism
trends. Even a simple cartoon on a sleek package of a cereal pack can drag kids
away from the Z-plus security cover that you had crafted to protect him or her
from the barrage of commercials targeted at children.

Delhi, along with other metros, appears to be a more brand conscious city
compared to smaller cities. More often than not, parents tend to buy branded
goods for kids, which makes children brand conscious at an early age. So, being
a parent, although you are not used to it, you’ll have to partly share the blame
for increasing consumerism levels among kids. As kids grow up, so do their
needs, which may range from high-end cell phones to branded sports shoes, and as
these unfulfilled wish list gets longer, stress levels keep pace with it.

Recently, famous designers have also started launching kids designer wear
collections to cater to children. Compared to the earlier advertisements, which
used to target women due to their decision-making role in family purchases, the
recent ones target children. Now just think for a moment, if these
advertisements can influence kids, parents can do the same as well. All you have
to do is to listen to them, make them aware of the real family situation, and
try to avoid those impulsive buying decisions. You can manage it much better if
you have thought of and planned the possible purchases before the actual visit.
If all decisions are yours, the children will rebel and if you let the kids make
up their own minds, you’ll be stressed. The answer, therefore, is joint decision
making, where the child is aware of the funds available and the needs to be
fulfilled within the amount before he or she goes shopping.