Thursday, May 20, 2010

My Green Kid

I am not what you would call a "green" person.  I love paper towels, paper plates, plastic cups, bottled water-- OK, anything that is disposable.  My daughter Breckyn is mortified by my anti-environmental behavior.

Last year after learning what plastic bottles do to the environment, she made me go out and buy a water purifier for the fridge and pledge that I would stop using so many bottles.  That lasted about a week before I couldn't take it any more.  I love having the convenience of the pre-done bottles.  I know-- I'm a monster.

Then she decided that we needed to recycle.  I was using our recycle bin as the boys ball storage in the garage.  She cleaned it out and claimed that we were now recyclers.  We would be saving the world one piece of trash at a time.  She roped the Mister into it and now he and I are at silent war over recycling.  When I finish my bottles of water I toss them in the trash just to get "team green."  He actually digs them out to recycle them.  Then he rats me out to Breckyn and I have to hear a long lecture about the benefits of recycling.

This morning she was leaving on a walking field trip and I tell her she needs to put on sunblock.  I take her outside and spray her down.  She explains to me that in the "olden days" (you know, when you were a kid mom) they didn't have to use sunblock because the ozone was thicker.  But now since everyone has polluted the earth there is no ozone left to protect us from the sun, so we have to wear sunblock.

She is determined to change our household to be a little more green.  She is slowly turning everyone against me.  This morning Em says to me, "I hate littering because soon our whole earth will be trash.  I'm never going to litter."  (Says the boy who can't pick up his own underwear off the floor.)

She got to him alright.  My baby is now on "team green."

The only benefit I've gotten from having her be psychotically green has been having her pick up trash in our yard.  She organized a trash pick up for our family one Saturday and we walked up and down our road picking up all the nasties that people throw out their windows.  She accused me of tossing things that looked familiar to her-- but even I'm not that bad.

I'm secretly not so against going green but she looks at me like I'm a criminal.  So it makes me want to prove her wrong. 

My numbers are starting to dwindle.  Pretty soon the whole family will be on "team green" and I'll be left all alone to wallow in my own trash.

Where did I go wrong?

8 comments:

Macey said...

You went wrong when you let her go to school where they continually pour "team green" down thier throats. GO PAPER TOWELS!!! My recycle bin is currently being used to hold brayden's outdoor toys. (I have to say, I think this Ozone Layer thing is a bunch of theory :)

Julie said...

That's soooo funny. Love it.

Rebecca said...

Leca, shame on you and your followers that agreed with you. I realize what you just wrote was written as light hearted humour (I really enjoy everything you have to say) but really shame on you. How can you not take her seriously. These 'theories' that the environment is changing and not for the better are well proven and documented. Humans are to blame for alot of the changes we are seeing today. Our consumption rate is out of this world. We throw away insane amounts of food and products. Just because we don't like it or its not current enough. We are running out of oil, water and many many natural habitats. This is the world Your daughter is growing up in. This is the world your daughter has to deal with. She now has to carry the weight of our irresponsibility, and what a weight that is. So bravo to her, you should be proud of the young women your daughter is becoming. She realizes how important it is to take care of this world. Her world will be much different than ours (and I don't think that means better). How disrespectful of you that you can't see how important this is and how wonderful that she wants to make a difference. So maybe its now time to join team green, embrace what she is trying to do and help make a difference for your children. And really paper towels, if you love them so much can be composted.

Macey said...

Rebecca, you are correct, it was meant as light hearted humour and there is no doubt in my mind that Leca is PROUD of her daughter.

Tina said...

I grew up in Seattle and, while we are the same age, I grew up on "team green" myself. I buy bottled water but make my family use it only for going out and not convenient Household drinking water. I also buy very few paper products (although I will never give up toilet paper and clorex wipes). My (extended) family loves to raz me every time I hold a get-together and I don't own any paper napkins (cloth- how obsurd!) and I have a huge pile of cheap walmart plastic plates that an occasional family member will mistake for nice-er disposable.
I think a lot of it has to do with our comfort habits. Go Breckyn for creating new habits in your home!

Unknown said...

Sometimes kids know to much!!!!!!!!!!I have a husband who is pretty green himself. Out side and in. He is always digging thru the trash and giving me "that look"

Cassie said...

I'm split! I love the throw away stuff but I do try with boxes and water bottles....look out there are a lot of green people out there!!!

Margene said...

Tell her next time you spray her with sun lotion. That when Grandma G was a little girl the ozone was real thick and I still got real bad sun burns. Use all the paper products you want.

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