I’ve been on a conservation kick with the kids. One of my new year’s resolutions was the oh-so-trendy “go greener.” I’m trying to impart the respect-your-earth values to them, with limited success. Of course, I don’t always have the lightest touch. I confess, I’ve been known to say, “Turn off the water! Fish need that water! Don’t kill the fish!” (Which has resulted in Doodles yelling, “Mom! Pie is wasting water! She’s killing fish!”)
Jumping on the plastics-are-bad-and-will-leach-harmful-things-into-my-children wagon, I decided I was going to order my kids some Sigg bottles. Just this morning, I told each child they were going to pick one bottle that they were going to live with for the rest of their lives. It was going to be their bottle for all going-out purposes and there was no switching or changing minds. Doodles picked out an astronaut bottle. Pie picked out Hello Kitty. The pink one. I found a lovely one for myself. Of course only after my little online search did I discover Hello Kitty is out of stock. So I’m searching for a place where I can buy all three because I’m too cheap (um, I mean environmentally aware!) to buy the bottles at multiple stores. I decided I’d hold off a day or two and see if I could find them locally. But no. Heading out to the playground today, I grabbed their sippies. At the playground:
Pie: I’m thirsty.
Me: Here’s your sippy.
Pie: No! I want Hello Kitty! The pink one!
Me: Sweetie, it’ll take a little while to get here. It won’t be here for a while [and that’s only after I order it!]
Pie: I want Hello Kitty now!
I was able to distract her until… bedtime.
Pie: I need my pink Hello Kitty.
Me: You don’t own a pink Hello Kitty yet. We just picked them out today!
Pie: PINK HELLO KITTY!
I think I need to get off my butt and find that bottle in stock. With expedited shipping. So much for saving money and packaging.
And then there was the conversation Pie and I had this week:
Pie: I need a paper towel.
Me: For what?
Pie: To clean.
Me: Use a dish towel.
Pie: Nooooo! I need a paper towel!
Me: That’s wasteful, Sweetie. Use a dish towel.
Pie: I need a paper towel. I need it, I need it, I need it!
Me: Do you know where paper comes from? It comes from trees.
Pie: [sniffle]
Me: Trees are killed for paper towels. Do you want to kill a tree?
Pie: Yes! Yes! Kill the trees! Kill the trees! [sobbing now] Kill the trees! Need a paper towel!
So now you know what conservation is all about. Dead fish. Downed trees. Pink Hello Kitties. Sent Fed Ex. Hope you all had a more productive Earth Day.
