My son learns to recycle....

As February ends, maybe so have some of our New Year’s resolutions….green juice anyone? 

I think my son might be struggling with one of his resolutions. He grandly announced that he no longer would be using anything made in China and I happily suggested he would need to give up his Nintendo switch…..what a deflated look he gave me.


 We then went into a well known big supermarket and I said he could choose a treat from the toy aisle. Well he ran up and down that aisle but could he find something that fitted in with his new beliefs? Unfortunately no and I watched him grapple with the moral dilemma he’d created for himself.  Was he really going to have to stick this out or simply go with the masses and get the dinosaur he really wanted? I could see his young mind comprehend on some level the scale of the problem.


I think this is often the case – we often feel deflated at the sheer enormity of climate change. There is much information on the ‘correct’ product to buy and people can be quick to judge and castigate if you’re seen with the ‘wrong’ product in your home. However, what we need is encouragement, even when we make mistakes. 


We need the trail blazers living the eco friendly life to be our aspirational evangelists. However we mustn’t admit defeat if we cannot follow their life exactly – surely it is better that more of us reuse and recycle imperfectly rather than not at all? 


After many a conflicting moment in his head my son did decide to put the dinosaur back on the shelf. He was so disappointed though, that I bought him a Mars bar….didn’t let him look at the label in case he found any reason not to enjoy it!