The Girl Scout Alternative - By Guest Blogger, James Langan
Parents once did actually raise their children mostly by themselves, acting as role-models – and playing the roles of coach, counselor, and protector. Of course, friends, school, and celebrities have always influenced the forging of values and identity within the child; but usually took a back seat to the examples set in the home, which remained the magnetic North on the life-compass children rely on to find their way to adulthood. For a long time, this was the dominant paradigm that served to form a society that at the very least struggled to be fair and just. Though imperfect and boiling over with exceptions to the rule, a lot of good did come from it. Today, however, the formation of a child’s values and identity is also influenced by a myriad of forces that may not always have the child’s best interest at heart. On the way to the bank, marketers figured out that a lot of money could be made by hijacking the value and identity formation process of the child and supplant...