this would be why I finally managed to move back to the UK... there are very few hobbies possessed by most Singaporeans: sleeping, eating and shopping are the usual ones cited. On a weekend we'd go to the mall because it had air-con and because very few other places did. Of course there were other attractions, but when there's only one zoo in the country and it costs a lot (it's a REALLY good zoo) there's a limit to how often you can go. Plus the tourists!!

but it still failed to make me particularly materialistic, and we also went the route of no commercial television, especially when the kids were younger. I had an advert quoted at me the other day and reminded them that if I got sick of hearing stuff like that they'd be back to videos only! I wholeheartedly agree about teaching kids what marketing is really about - I have a joke with mine about what the real thing might look like sometimes.

and we're hanging in though the peer pressure has increased dramatically since we've been back in the UK. The kids have managed to hold onto their contempt for people who have the gimmes, and are quite amused by their friends' reaction to how their lives differ, both in material things and in the consequent way in which the kids are parented. The two things are inextricably linked I am sure, and my two have learned how other kids live and how much mine prefer to be parented my way than to have me give in to everything and not really care much. I discuss things with them on quite a grown-up level and have done since before they were really ready, although I would have used simpler language. They're now 10 and 8 1/2, and those aren't easy ages to be resisting peer pressure, so I'm quite proud of them. And myself I guess!

Kerri.