I’d always considered myself environmentally friendly—until I had kids.
I’m an outdoor-loving pescatarian, I have long had a recycling bin at home, and I bring a reusable water bottle with me wherever I go. But when I had my first child, whatever benefit I was offering Mother Nature was surely outweighed by the way I was defiling her with a daily assault of soiled disposable diapers.
And let’s not forget all the baby wipes. And the plastic baggies with a couple remaining Cheerios. And the sucked-out apple puree pouches. And all the hot water used to rinse out scores of bottles. Or the stacks of Styrofoam boxes for parent-consumed takeout.
In those early months of sleep deprivation, the environment ranked about No. 271 on my list of priorities. But five years later, with two children at the toddler stage or older, I’m finally ready to bump it back up into the top 100. And this time, my children are the inspiration.
The other day, my 2-year-old son came home from preschool and asked me which one of our two canisters beside the kitchen island was designated for recycling. “Recycling?” I asked. I hadn’t recalled teaching him that word. And as a matter of fact, I hadn’t. I soon found out that his preschool teachers were asking the students to collect recyclables and leading the children outside to deposit them in the school’s recycling bins.
The result: My little son was suddenly curious about each food item at the dinner table and whether its remains belonged in the trash or recycling bin. (One day, we hope to become one of those saintly composting families, but we’re not there yet.) And my 5-year-old daughter, who attends the same school, now scolds me whenever she catches me throwing a yogurt cup into the trash can.
I’m thankful for my little ones reminding me to stop and take a moment for the environment when I can. And now that we have a common understanding, we can continue to teach each other how to take care of our most precious resource.
Here are some ways you can start the conversation and add some environment-centric activities to your family routine:
1. Listen to songs about recycling.
2. Talk about what can be recycled.
3. Read books about recycling.
Babble.com recommends Don’t Throw That Away!
4. Have them help you rinse out their disposable food containers.
5. Encourage them to look for recycling containers at their school and other public places.
6. Have them pack their snacks in reusable containers.
7. Play recycling games.
