This commerical has been driving me insane for several months. I saw it again this morning and felt compelled to find out if I am alone in this?
Link here (beware of poor quality)
I use paper plates for larger parties and when I am in my first few post-partum weeks. There is nothing wrong with using them from time to time. But this commercial tries to get women to buy paper plates by pushing the Good Mom vs. Bad Mom angle. Bad Moms steal time away from their precious children by doing dishes. Good Moms throw plates in the trash after meals so they can freely romp in the yard, guilt-free.
If you are so worried about not spending time with your kids, how about calling them into the kitchen, handing out dishtowels, and recruiting them to dry the Tupperware and pans? Even a three-year-old can dry a plastic tumbler. It might not be perfect, but who cares? Talk about their day. Tell jokes. Tell boring stories of your childhood in Grand Junction, Colorado. If it applies.
You CAN bond over chores.
I hadn’t seen that. Wow.
I have nothing against paper plates, but I also don’t think it’s a “bad Mom” move to spend time washing dishes! Seriously.
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What a ridiculous ad. Not only because of the underlying parenting message, but also because paper plates are generally considered environmentally unfriendly. I certainly am all for paper plates for certain occasions, but on a day-to-day basis? In order to be a better parent? Good grief.
Sydney loves helping me do the dishes, but she’s not so good at listening to my stories 🙂 The dishes are far more interesting.
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Wow! I hadn’t seen that. I am so amazed that they took that tack. Loading my dishwasher takes all of 5-10 minutes most days, so they’re not going to break down our family times. And even if they took longer, like you, I believe families can bond over working together just as much as having “fun” together.
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AND I only have to spend an extra $75 a month to feed my family on my precious Dixie plates! Ugh.
I think some of my best times as a child were had accomplishing something together as a family. And mom and I still do dishes together when I’m at her house…
What a stupid, bogus commercial.
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*shudders* Yeah, we use paper plates in a jam, but honestly, every day for dinner? I couldn’t help thinking that if that lady cared for her kids so much she would teach them about trivial, unnecessary waste. In our house, we try to teach the values of responsibility and permanency. What does that teach kids if we become this disposable, everything can be thrown away society? Oh you got spaghetti sauce on your shirt? No problem, we’ll toss it. We can get another one…ugh.
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Preach it, sister. It’s not like they reduce clean up time that much, anyway. Even with six of us, the time it takes to rinse six plates and stick them in the dishwasher is pretty minimal. It’s the rest of the mess that takes time! They’re selling a lie.
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Silly commercial….
Bonding is great, but what about the even better idea of actually teaching your child something? Like not everything is disposable or how to take care of precious things or simply how to clean up after yourself or the joy that can come from doing a job well?
Ok, ok, maybe I took that a little too far!
This might be aimed at the ‘drive through generation’ – the ones that eat most of their meals in the car on the go.
I hate the commercial where the family goes back out to the car to eat after a parent brings home fast food… sad, sad commentary on family mealtime.
I miss sitting down to a meal with my kids now that they are grown and gone.
As much as I do try to be a little more green – I find paper plates to have a reason and season for use… but not everyday, everymeal… that’s just silly.
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I don’t use chores to bond with my kids. I use them to blog while they do my dishes 🙂 Works for me.
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I have seen the ad and agree it’s ridiculous. Another effort to persuade moms that consuming more will make them better mothers.
Oh, you are SO right! Actually- call me crazy, but sometimes my dishwashing time is great conversation and therapy time in the kitchen with my family. We don’t have a dishwasher either- just me!~
Steph
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Well said …. That commercial’s been getting on my nerves for a while now.
I hadn’t seen that one either. Yes, a dish towel for each kid works wonders. Not only do you get quality time together, you teach then a skill AND get the kitchen cleaned.
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Amen! Ugh, stuff like that just kills me, they try to feed on our mommy guilt and it’s wrong!
Thanks for sharing,
Heidi
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I’ve rethought my desire for a dishwasher – another mom was telling me that prime conversation time with her teenage sons is over a sink full of dirty dishes. I want to make opportunities like that as my children grow – sure, I could make them wash dishes so it frees me up to do other things, but I would miss my chance to really listen to them.
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***SNORT***
Ranks right up there with “choosy mothers choose Jiff!” Because, you know, the rest of us just don’t give a damn.
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That is the craziest commercial I have ever seen. I think paper plates are losing in the environmental war so they are getting a bit desperate. It’s commercials like these that make me uber-thankful for my DVR>
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Oh I agree! And another commercial that’s just been driving me nuts is that Barbie “I Feel Connected… Connected” song I hear all the time on Noggin. Not really the message, just the melody and they play it at every single commercial break it seems. Fingernails on a chalkboard…
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I was incredulous the first time I saw that ad. In this age of “Go Green,” I couldn’t imagine how it got approved by executives at a major company.
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