Skip to main content

Support WBUR

How do you raise a child to not be materialistic in a world of consumerism?

05:50
A child and parent ride bikes together. (Justin Paget/Getty Images)
A child and parent ride bikes together. (Justin Paget/Getty Images)

Editor's note: This segment was rebroadcast on June 6, 2024. Click here for that audio.

This year is expected to see record spending on holiday gifts as American gift spending closes in on $1 trillion. A huge chunk of that expenditure is likely to be on our children, but they also seem to be asking for more too. Is it true? Are more aggressive ad campaigns to blame?

Host Deepa Fernandes puts that question and more to University of Virginia Professor Allison Pugh, author of "Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children, and Consumer Culture." Pugh also shares some advice about how to parent amidst the consumerism onslaught.

This segment aired on December 21, 2023.

Support WBUR

Support WBUR

Listen Live