When I became a mom, I quickly realized I would do ANYTHING for these kids. I want to give them all the best, always. Not in a spoil them, Veruca Salt, sort of way, but in a -I would walk to Mordor for you- kind of way. And, like so many parents out there, holidays or birthdays approach, and I get excited to give them something really special. To see their faces light up, to watch their imaginations grow. But, I can never help thinking, that the greatest gift I can give my kids, really, is a healthy planet for their future and for their kids. I know that sounds corny as all heckarooni when I say it, but I believe it deep down in my core. And while I’m not going to sit my kids down on their birthdays and tell them that their gift is that we didn’t get them anything that would add to the crisis of overconsumption and instead Mama sat down and wrote this post in the small hopes it would make a difference, I still think that we can keep things in perspective. Maybe cut down on the over gifting. Be conscious about what products we’re buying and what their company’s practices are and which local shop we’d like to support, even if it means paying a little bit more. Or even making our own gifts. Maybe we can also realize that for a lot of people, gifts aren’t necessarily brown paper packages tied up with strings, but instead might be a special outing or spending time together. I want to give my kids a healthy, sustainable planet for their future, and so with every celebration, every gift, every birthday party, I keep that at the forefront of my mind. And then all I can do is my best.
