Cinderella Ate My Daughter

I want someone else to read this so we can talk about it.  I've told a couple people about it now, so hopefully the discussion will begin soon.  

A friend's mother posted this comment of FB today (there was a photo included to):

"Okay grandparents I need expert advice. A couple of weeks ago I sent my 8 year old granddaughter a picture of a beautiful pink flowering tree as a text. Titled it I am sending you a fairy tree. Last night we are texting back and forth as to who loves each other the most and after "I love you so so so so so much" she tells me how excited she is about the fairy tree and that I am getting it for her a treat. How do I get out of disappointing her? I can't ever stand to make a grandchild feel bad."

 I'm not a grandmother, but I responded. "Just explain you were just sending the photo. I don't think you should get her a tree. A photo should should be enough."

But what did everyone else tell her to do? I'm sure you guessed correctly - they told her to buy her the tree.  Ugh!!! I was really bothered by so many things about this post (um, why does an 8 year have a phone and is texting???)

There was an interesting point that caught my attention in one of the last chapters I read, "We adults are immigrants to this land of technology; our kids are natives. They use it differently than we do They experience it differently, without our old-world accents or values. " (Orenstein, Peggy, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, p 163)

The author makes a number of really great points throughout her book.  Of course there are some things she says that I do not agree with - she is far more liberal than I on many points, but overall. yup, we'd totally be friends.  

I think that you should read this book. I'm not pushing an agenda. I'm not calling out the "bad mothers" of the world. This book won't solve our world's issues, but I think you may appreciate her perspective.

Oh, and she totally predicted Selena Gomez hooking up with Justin Beiber and her 180 in behavior. (The book was published in 2011).

Enjoy.