Raising a Social Pariah

this is what happens when they get treats from Starbucks

I limit things for my children and I do it on purpose.

Mr A and I carefully plan limits for food, entertainment, toys, you-name-it.  We believe these limits are good for them and can only hope we are doing the right thing (since I won't know until its too late to change my mind!)

I was reading an article the other day about parents who embrace "the simple life" and raise their children accordingly.  One teenage daughter pointed out that her parents are raising her for a world that no longer exists.  Similar families have expressed conflicted feelings about their children being noticeably different from their peers and how this affects their self-image.

Because modern consumption-based culture is so aggressive, so all-encompassing, I have found that even with radical values, I can only sustain lukewarm results.  For all my strong feelings to the contrary, my kids still eat chips for dinner and worship Transformers.  Maybe this is good for them, maybe these transgressions will prevent them from becoming social pariahs.  My job is to keep assessing the situation and determine when the limits can be relaxed and when they need to be reinforced.

I'd like to think that this is me, as a mother, taking the middle road.