The just released movie by Lauren Greenfield, ‘Generation Wealth’ @genwealthmovie, is one all parents and parenting educators should see. At the beginning of the show, one can comfortably imagine that the problem is other people, but the filmmaker’s use of images of her own work along with interviews with her family members make it clear that, as Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
 
How can we counter the commercialism and commodification that undermine our most basic human values? I think this effort has to start with us talking together in person, both about the good stuff that brings us together as families, friends and communities, then talking about the bad stuff that drives us apart. Tears will be shed: it is difficult to face the reality of the world that we and our children live in but can we recognize that ‘sorrow carves out so that joy may fill up’?
 
I want Parents Forum to be part of a successful struggle against the destructive and addictive force of “money, money, money” …as a little girl in ‘Generation Wealth’ described her reason for being on the Toddlers and Tiara show. We have to rebuild our lives and communities by replacing the shifting sands of performance with a firm base of accomplishment and affection.