Pick your cereal for how it tastes, NOT the prize inside! I don’t know how many times I have preached this to my children as they narrow their choices in the cereal aisle. Regardless of how logical my sermon may be kids are prone to overlook the actual product and focus on the prize inside. This has been never-ending frustration for me as a parent when I know my kids are clamoring for a $5 box of cereal to get a plastic 5cent toy! Well General Mills has come up with a new promotion that has made me rethink my stance on the prize inside.
We were hustling through our morning routine, I had one eye open and I was trying to find socks and caffeine at the same time. I heard my 11 year old rip into a new box Golden Grams and then become hysterical. “Look what I got from the cereal box!” I had just pried my other eye open and still hadn’t found a cup of caffeine when I heard his cry, I immediately thought two things: I hope it doesn’t cause a fight and I hope it doesn’t break before he gets on the school bus.
Within seconds he was bouncing around in front of me with a plastic card with the Trix rabbit and the word CASH across the front. He had gotten $5 in cash on a Discover cash card. I was astounded, I finally got both eyes open and checked it out. The card had a sticker directing me to General Mills website to activate the card and then we were good to go. My son was so proud and now he can actually go and by a $5 toy that will last more than a day. It was a great opportunity to answer his many questions about credit cards, how you use them and how this plastic card will be worth $5 at the store. We also took the time to lay some groundwork for the dangers people get into when credit cards are not handled responsibility. I have never seen him so thrilled at a prize, and his brothers have never been so envious. In our house the rule is finders keepers and we can’t open a new box until the old one is gone, hopefully he will choose to spend his cash on something shareable.
We have come a long way from temporary tattoos and plastic rings. I really think General Mills is on to something here, Silly Rabbit – cereal prizes aren’t just for kids anymore!
For more information on this promotion click here.
