Now at November 1st, we have Christmas upon us. With the Halloween hats packed away and the sparklers ready for the weekend, it is now acceptable to mention the C word. Albeit every retailer has been talking about Christmas for two months.
This article is from 2012 but the message it gives us stands true today. As mothers we have the chance to impact how our children grow and the values we teach them as they become young women. We are living in a world where certain behaviours are killing our planet. Our actions are putting a burden on our world but that's a long blog all by itself. This article was a good one and talks of our 'desire to acquire' and is a good reminder of what we ought to be thinking about.
Small steps by everyone can start making a difference. If we don't believe it, act on it and start setting a good example to our children, we will only make things worse.
Just this week at my daughters school, one of the parents was talking about her 13 year old son. The child's father had offered to give him his old iPhone 6S for his upcoming 13th birthday. The mother said 'a second hand phone is the equivalent of giving someone used pencils in the 80s'. These words were actually spoken. This is what spurred me on to write the blog so I guess I have something to thank her for. I was horrified.
How have we become a nation when 13 year olds need new iPhones and the need for new has overtaken the need for practical use? If you need something to perform a function and it works, then use it. Why throw it away? We don't all get it right and we aren't perfect but fundamentally we can do some little things to teach our children good values and appreciate what they have. Let's not forget there are children in the world who live without a home, food or shoes on their feet. The age old line of 'there are children in the world who are starving' is hard to communicate to a young child but we can show them how we need to appreciate what we have. We can stitch buttons on without buying new shirts, we can sew up a small hole in a school cardigan, we can recycle, we can stop using plastic bags and we can tell our children why we are doing it. The WHY is so important.
So this Christmas think about your gifting. Stay away from the plastic rubbish that will be laughed at for 2 minutes and end up in landfill. What do your kids REALLY need?