Papa Johns

Today I realized how pervasive advertising is and how it can even reach seemingly sheltered little kids. My realization came after Ashton said something funny. The kids were playing with the play-doh set we received for Christmas and one of the tools looks like a pepper mill, but shoots out little confetti looking pieces. Matthew put white play-doh in it and said, "I am making Parmesean cheese to go on my spaghetti." Katie said, "I need some Parmesean." And then Ashton started screaming, "Papa Johns! Papa Johns! I need some Papa Johns!" Matthew and Katie kept trying to tell him it was Parmesean, but he kept insisting that he was making "Papa Johns." He even called the Parmesean cheese in our fridge "Papa Johns."

At first, I kept giggling anytime he talked about "Papa Johns." Then, I wondered... how does he even know about Papa Johns? We live at least an hour away from a Papa Johns and haven't been since we lived in Wymount seven years ago... long before Ashton was born. We don't get TV channels. Matthew said he thinks Ashton saw the commercials at my mom's house. But still, that's not a lot of TV time. Whenever I go grocery shopping I am amazed at my kids' knowledge about different uses and "benefits" of products. (Again, we don't have TV so they only watch it at my mom's... only a couple of times/week.) So, the advertisers are definitely doing something right. It makes me think... and hope I am instilling values in my little ones at least as effectively as the advertising companies.