My daughter, all of 5 years, had just started coaching for tennis with a group of kids from her class.
One day, just before her tennis class, she said something to me that shocked me.
Here’s how it went :
My daughter: Mom, my racket is not of good quality! (not too confident while saying the word quality!)
Me : (while not showing any reaction so she doesn’t stop sharing more): Ah ok!
My daughter: Cosco is a good quality racket.
Me: (obviously realising what had happened): Alright, did Sir say that to you?
My daughter: No!
Me: The racket you use was suggested by Sir and it is perfect for your age.
My daughter: Okay! Mumma. (not as convinced)
Me: You are the one who plays with that racket, it doesn’t work with a battery. If you play and connect with the ball, “your” game will be good, not the racket. Do you have a problem while using your racket?
My daughter: No mumma, I don’t. Okay Mumma! Yes, I operate the racket, I need to be good at the game.
Me (gives her a kiss): Okay so go and play your best!
Phew! That was not an easy to handle on the spot. My first reaction was why would kids be told about brands so early on in life and second was a realisation that the peer pressure we faced at age 15 is happening at age 5 now!
But this is just a one off incidence! I am sure there will be many more that’ll come. Below is how you can prepare your child for the same!
- Do not drop brand names in front of kids. If they are aware that it matters to you, it’ll start mattering to them as well. They should know that their self-worth is not defined by the brands they wear/use or carry.
- Teach them to value all their things (inexpensive or expensive) as equal. They must take care of everything they have. We might be tempted to say “those are your expensive adidas shoes so don’t throw them around” but instead try “those are your shoes and YOU must take care of them. They will get spoilt if you don’t and you won’t be able to wear them”
- Avoid commenting on other people in front of them. They pick on it and do the same very often.
- When they ask you questions which are brand centric like “Why don’t we have a BMW?” remind them that the functionality is what matters, everything else is a choice. For example “BMW is just another mode of transport and we have another car that takes us everywhere. People have different choices and that’s okay!”
- Remind them that different people have different choices and it is okay whatever they choose. It is not their place to comment on If it does not involve them.
This is the start of peer pressure but building the right moral foundation is crucial at this point. External influences will be out of control but making sure are kids are resilient is something we can do!