A neatly cut mother in a large, tidy kitchen. She's been putting on water year after year (if we are to believe the commercials). In addition, she is beautiful and she does not age a bit. She waits for her son (or daughter) to get back from school to go through the day together. All this while enjoying a cup of tea and a delicious (whether or not healthy and responsible) cookie. TV advertising aims to persuade us to buy something. To achieve this goal, advertising is often recognizable or it promises something that you also want .
However, the above is not recognizable to me, and I would never want to! Below are my well-founded arguments!
Table of contents
First seriously. The reality (at least my reality, but most likely yours too) really isn't like that?!
I am busy working half the time. Then my children go to the BSO. There they are welcomed with a drink and a piece of fruit, after which they can play. In addition, I have three children instead of one. That changes the dynamics in the house quite a bit. For many like me probably very recognizable. For the sake of convenience, I also assume that – on the days that I am at home – the children already come home alone. Which is not (yet) the case.
Also like: stigmatize advertisements; woman behind the counter
When I'm at home (read:not at work), I try to make sure I've done all my errands and household chores before they come home. With sweat on my forehead, I rush to get home on time with full shopping bags. Is my small kitchen tidy? Mostly not. Is my hair (still) beautiful? If I want to with that Dutch weather!
Then my treasures burst in (assuming they aren't going to play with a friend), and they run to the bathroom. Of course, they are in dire need of course. Then they rush like a couple savages to the kitchen in search of food. When I point them to the nicely decorated bowl with responsible or not responsible delicacies, they immediately run towards it, grab as much as possible (because imagine the other person takes more) to stuff into their mouths. Cup of tea? No, there's no time for that, they quickly swallow some lemonade and then go play (outside) again. So my children have no time at all to chat with mother. They just had to sit still for hours at school. Play and meet up with friends. And blame them for once!
Also like: have a happy period; the nonsensical Always advertising
But suppose… it does go like in the TV commercial. They come in quietly, sit comfortably with me and we enjoy the day. Then I have a problem in the evening:what to do for dinner?
Dinner at our house is the time to go through the day as a family. In this way I prevent all attention from being focused on a possible lack of appetite. If we have already discussed everything in the afternoon, it becomes too quiet at the table. Then they have plenty of time to consider whether they want to eat my lovingly prepared supper!
If I have already discussed everything in the afternoon as the TV commercial suggests, then we have nothing more to say in the evening. When I ask again how the day was they will say “we already told you that”. Of course I can indicate that daddy was not there and he also wants to know. But I can already hear them sigh deeply and then exhale that they are really too tired for that now. Or (even better), they ask if I want to tell you 😉 .
I do not recognize the said image in the TV commercial and I also do not want to! I skip the afternoon moment and grab óns' moment during the evening meal. I prefer to ask at dinner “What did you do today?” instead of getting the question "What did you cook again today?" And then I prefer to hear “I liked that today” instead of “I don't like this today”!
Tell me, do you also feel that you are triggered by TV commercials, but in a negative way? That it annoys you?
