Value and Profit

Couldn't agree more! The things our mothers' generation took for granted - taking the children to the park, letting them " help" with baking and cooking, round the house or in the garden,collecting pebbles or shells on the beach - you can't put a price on those. Perhaps that is where grandparents come in - we may not be able to afford the expensive toys but we can give our time, both to our DGC and their often hard-pressed parents!
For once, I go along with the slogan - our time is priceless;
"For everythng else there's Mastercard"

A by product of a consumer & celebrity based culture - an absolute dream for a marketing guru with a massive pool of willing victims to tap.
I'm with you both - there are far too many who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
I make sure my grandchildren enjoy what most would refer to as simple pleasures... It's hard for parents these days to juggle all that life requires and finding time difficult; that's the gift of being a grandparent - i have that in abundance.
Maybe this is just the way of things. As a working mother & housewife the time i could spend with my own children was always a fine balancing act. Perhaps 'cost' is a concept for the young and 'value' a concept for the not so young!

I remember my DD (at school during the Thatcher years) having cookery lessons at school that consisted of putting a different topping on a bought pizza base for several weeks and then having to design packaging and a marketing strategy for each one. Cookery my eye! Whatever happened to feeding your family with love?

You're right sal. As a parent of young children I was probably guilty of spending money on activities, food out, etc., because time (and energy) were limited.

Mishap I really related to what you said about the pizza. My son also came home with a long list of ingredients for making a pizza. I didn't have all of the ingredients (like pizza base, fresh basil, mozzarella, red peppers, etc.) and so had to go out and buy them specially - and it worked out quite expensive.

In the main I tried to cook "proper" food rather than convenience food and I couldn't understand why putting some ingredients on top of a bought dough base and sticking it in the oven constituted "cooking".

When I was at school we made things like cheese and potato pie, fruit crumbles, stews, soups, etc., etc. - things that were inexpensive and nutritious.

At school we learnt all the basics, making sandwiches, cakes, how to sear meat before stewing it so the juices stayed in. etc etc.

Mishap My kids also did all that stuff as well. Fortunately they learnt the basics at home.

Schools really need to get back to basic cooking skills.

We learnt how to scrub a white wood table, clean an oven and make rock cakes. Mine would have cracked a pavement if dropped.

I love it when my grand-daughter sends me photos of her two little girls baking with her or feeding the ducks in the park. They do have a room full of toys, though.
My girls used to laugh when they remembered their Friday treat - one felt tip each per week, and one Ladybird 'Well Loved Tales'. Most of their toys were second hand - they were quite happy with a Sindy doll with one leg!
I only took cookery, as it was called then, for two years, because the nuns obviously thought that the 'clever' girls, who did Latin, would never need to cook for a family. Perhaps they thought we would all become corporate lawyers and employ a cook.
I see there is a move afoot to ban adverts which are specifically aimed at young children - what a good move that would be.

I only did cookery for a year and all I learned was to make cakes!

My children reminisce about the things we did together, they never mention anything we bought them but have lots of happy memories of family times.

Our DS and young family do quite a lot together, much of which costs nothing and they seem to love it.

My objection to what the cookery lessons consisted of was that it was essentially about marketing, selling, making a profit rather than actually learning to cook nutritious meals for yourself, family and friends. It made me quite sick and reflected the values of the era.

It would certainly be a step in the right direction to ban adverts aimed at children and would cut down on "pester power.

If I look back at holiday memories most of them are about time. Not where we were, or what we bought or how much we spent. Just me and my family having time together, not even doing anything, probably just sitting around. Written down it sounds awfully twee but it is true.