Eco Parenting

Lydia Neilsen, an Eco Parent, spoke with us about raising children with mother earth in mind. Lydia, Permaculture instructor and founder of Dirt Dragon Design, has a third talent, which is raising a seven year old who will inevitably become part of the solution. Already solution minded, this youngster is asking questions, and seeking answers, about new energy sources, sustainability, and alternative fuel powered vehicles.

Neilsen discussed summer travel with children. Tips included were plentiful:

1. Bring your own healthy snacks on the plane, and stay away from sugar to avoid the stir-crazy sensation.
2. Eat something salty to trigger thirst, so that you both stay hydrated.
3. Bring cloth napkins during your travels, and refuse all those paper items. After all, "refuse" is the fourth "R" in "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."
4. Get jazzed about homeopathic methods for ear infections etc, and remember gum for ear popping on planes.

Neilsen answered a difficult question for us. How do you break the bad news to kids, when it comes to today's issues such as climate change, and our dangerous dependency on fossil fuels? She suggests keeping your discussion honest, and solution based as to avoid leaving the child with a sense of hopeless gloom and doom. It is also very helpful to ask them what they think the issue is all about first off, then take a cue from them about how much to elaborate. This approach encourages children to come up with solutions, which they actually tend to enjoy being part of.

Most important:
Let's teach our children not to want things, which is difficult in our consumer based society. It is difficult to get a kid out of a store without a battle for a pretty plastic item. We must provide the ethic of doing rather than buying when raising our kids. Involving children in a project in which you would normally hire someone else to do, such as building shelves, or gardening, proves to be a great learning experience. It is also more rewarding and entertaining to participate in an activity together than simply pulling out the credit card.

Thank you Lydia for joining us today. You can contact her at LNeilsen@earthlink.net for any Eco Parenting questions or comments. And as always, feel free to leave your comments here. Have a great weekend.

Olana & Deborah