Back when we were new parents, we did our best to live a life of quality over quantity. We were genuine products of our eco-generation.
James was an especially vocal enthusiast of planet-friendly toys. Preferably the kind made of sustainably grown hard wood and non-toxic, water-based, VOC-free paint. I know, stop rolling your eyes…
Plastic was the enemy, unless it was recycled and made from milk containers and came in recycled, corrugated boxes. And our first toys were undeniably beautiful. Sturdy. Natural. Well-crafted. Unlike plastic, they could theoretically be fixed with regular tools and passed down as family “heirlooms.” We collected beautiful, imaginative toys made by companies like Melissa & Doug, Plan Toys, Green Toys, HABA, and Hape. I can’t wait to see my grandkids’ faces when I present them with our “family heirloom wooden cheese collection.”
We did our best to aim for biodegradable and organic. We borrowed baby swings and bought second-hand items on Craig’s List and wore mostly hand-me-downs. We realized one of the least expensive and earth-friendly things one could do, without trying, was to have a child of the same gender in the same season. If a piece of clothing survived its first owner, it was on to the next.
However, within the first few months, our resolve began to slip. It takes a lot of effort to fend off mountains of kid stuff. One might say Herculean… as I write this, our new two foot long realistic plastic birthday alligator is staring at me from across the living room floor.
Our first digression was in the arena of diapers. We tried the organic, reusable diaper service. But after having to change our baby’s clothes during every diaper change, we gave in to disposable. At least they were “greener” disposables. The same color as those recycled, corrugated boxes. But, there is an undeniable reason why disposable diapers have skyrocketed in popularity when it comes to the latest in diapering technologies. As my cousin living in the ecomecca of Berkeley put it, “Why shouldn’t we be the ones to fill-up the landfill?” Don’t answer that.
Our second digression probably began with Jacob’s third birthday. He discovered toys like monster trucks and little animals and guys and cars and helicopters. To the best of my knowledge, Melissa and Doug haven’t come out with any convincing monster trucks. By this point we were struggling with fending off the toys, period. Between annual visits from Santa and birthdays, it was clearly a losing battle.
And now we find ourselves, six years later, with a collection of earth-friendly and earth-hostile toys. James’ younger brother loves to poke fun at him as he gazes across the plastic landscape of our living room rug.
Jake’s latest thing is to tell me, every day, what he’s going to be when he grows up. It evolves daily, though one profession has remained constant over the last few weeks:
“Mom, mom. When I grow up, I’m going to be a plastic maker. I’m going to make everything out of plastic! All the toys in the world.”
Looks like our grand plan has backfired. Serves us right I’m sure.