Hellobee

I think the author of this article about not buying plastic toys was feeling how I feel most of the time, especially around birthdays and other occasions. I am a bit of a downer when it comes to special occasions because of my frustration with the ubiquity of plastic for kids. For the first two years of our daughter’s life, we lived in Thailand so every trip was made with just suitcases. But now one set of grandparents have opened the floodgates since we’ve had to stay put. I shouldn’t say that – it’s not totally overwhelming, just a bit, but that bit is tough for me because I do feel like though she’s a kid, she’s our kid, and she lives in our house, and so does her stuff. And also, did I mention she’s a kid? She’s a very small person and needs very little. She loved the microphone and it was so cute seeing her sing on it, but I feel like the world needs us to give up some small pleasures in order to make a better one.

Children cannot be expected to self-regulate the accumulation of stuff. Sure, we can (and should) teach them about the lifespan of a product and where it will go after it leaves our home. We can practice thoughtful decision-making practices when it comes to purchasing goods.

So true! True for me even as an adult sometimes. I liked the limitation suitcases made even though we kept boxes of stuff in a friend’s attic. Now that this stuff (and so much more) exists in our three bedroom one and a half story, I feel the urge to leave. For medical reasons I can’t leave. I have to see this phase through, which will be anywhere between a few months to a few years. A neurologist will interpret my MRI next week and let me know what the timeline looks like.

The other day our nephew asked his parents if he could bring his toys with him to play with at our house because we don’t have very many. We have a whole cupboard full, and our daughter’s whole room! I do know many people who’s entire living spaces have been taken over by kids’ stuff and that’s totally fair if that’s their priorities. And some kids, like my nephew, really do value their stuff and play with it. So many though play with it initially and then never again.

Yes, my kids will live with less – less stuff. But I really hope they thrive and get so much joy out of their other belongings and their art and building supplies, and mostly their experiences. And that they learn to be safe, instead of expecting that companies will strip any risk out of their products, doing it for them.

I think the ending really sums it up well:

If we want children to value relationships over stuff, we have to be intentional about the way we bring it into their lives. The way we buy will teach. I beg you, for the good of your children and this planet, please stop buying plastic crap.

So to answer my own question, right now I think I do get some say over what my kids get to own, in my house. I think that question will have to be answered again and again as they age and begin to ask their own questions and figure out their own answers.