Melanie was exhausted. She had just collected her daughter from school after a difficult day
at work. Now she was about to start preparing dinner. She sighed as her seven-year-old
scowled at her. Annie scuffed her shoes across the kitchen floor, leaving dirty scratch marks
on the tiles. ‘But Mum, everyone at school has a Clarabel doll! It’s not fair – I never get the
toys I want.’ Melanie admitted to herself that what Annie said was true. Being a financially
stretched single parent meant her daughter rarely got any special treats.
While Melanie believed strongly that children should not be given everything they demand,
she could still empathise with Annie’s wants. Annie had had a difficult time settling in to
school, and would often come home in tears because she had been teased. Now she would
be judged as uncool by the other girls in her class because she didn’t have a Clarabel doll
and no doubt be subjected to more bullying. When had society become so superficial that
even children judged each other according to their belongings? Clarabel had been
advertised aggressively in the media. The doll was the latest craze and every girl of Annie’s
age seemed desperate to have a Clarabel of her own. But whether or not Melanie wanted to
buy the doll for her daughter was irrelevant; the price put Clarabel firmly out of Melanie’s
reach. She thought about the advertising adve