Comments on: Green Mom Guilt http://greenbabyguide.com/2008/01/28/green-mom-guilt/ Earth Friendly, Budget Friendly Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:23:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Eileen http://greenbabyguide.com/2008/01/28/green-mom-guilt/#comment-32 Eileen Sat, 02 Feb 2008 06:05:51 +0000 http://greenbabyguide.com/2008/01/28/green-mom-guilt/#comment-32 Joy, I think it's great that you are giving those of us who are struggling with all these changes permission to take it at our own pace. I remember in high school I was a rabid environmentalist. I had huge arguments with my parents over things like recycling. At some point, the more I thought about all the things we SHOULD be doing, the more overwhelmed I felt and I turned it off. For a long time I did nothing because I couldn't do everything. Then I started to make little changes where I could. I took some cloth napkins out of a drawer and decided to use them. Why not? what was I saving them for? I stopped buying paper napkins. There are now a lot of little things that I do and I know I do things really differently than say, 10 years ago. But it didn't happen all at once and I'm not done with all the changes I need to make, but it's too overwhelming to completely change your life overnight, and crash changes (like crash diets) never take. Here is what I tell myself. 3 generations ago, recycling wasn't called recycling because that was how people lived. There wasn't anything that people just used and threw away. MOst families didn't have cars or washing machines and plastic wasn't invented yet. Somehow we degenerated into the throwaway society that we are today. So my hope is that by the time MY kids are grown up, I will have gotten back to that and my kids will be instilled with these values to pass on to their children. Giving myself that kind of leeway makes it feel much more doable. That's 12 years until Betsy leaves the house! I feel positive about the future and instead of "eating a cookie", I am trying. I know there are people who are way ahead of me, and I am grateful to them for forging ahead, figuring it out and then writing blogs telling me what to do! And yes, I feel a teensy bit guilty when I see what a better job you gals are doing, but we've all had our mountains to climb right? Joy, I think it’s great that you are giving those of us who are struggling with all these changes permission to take it at our own pace. I remember in high school I was a rabid environmentalist. I had huge arguments with my parents over things like recycling. At some point, the more I thought about all the things we SHOULD be doing, the more overwhelmed I felt and I turned it off. For a long time I did nothing because I couldn’t do everything. Then I started to make little changes where I could. I took some cloth napkins out of a drawer and decided to use them. Why not? what was I saving them for? I stopped buying paper napkins. There are now a lot of little things that I do and I know I do things really differently than say, 10 years ago. But it didn’t happen all at once and I’m not done with all the changes I need to make, but it’s too overwhelming to completely change your life overnight, and crash changes (like crash diets) never take.

Here is what I tell myself. 3 generations ago, recycling wasn’t called recycling because that was how people lived. There wasn’t anything that people just used and threw away. MOst families didn’t have cars or washing machines and plastic wasn’t invented yet. Somehow we degenerated into the throwaway society that we are today. So my hope is that by the time MY kids are grown up, I will have gotten back to that and my kids will be instilled with these values to pass on to their children. Giving myself that kind of leeway makes it feel much more doable. That’s 12 years until Betsy leaves the house! I feel positive about the future and instead of “eating a cookie”, I am trying. I know there are people who are way ahead of me, and I am grateful to them for forging ahead, figuring it out and then writing blogs telling me what to do! And yes, I feel a teensy bit guilty when I see what a better job you gals are doing, but we’ve all had our mountains to climb right?

]]> By: Mama2Gabe http://greenbabyguide.com/2008/01/28/green-mom-guilt/#comment-28 Mama2Gabe Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:33:53 +0000 http://greenbabyguide.com/2008/01/28/green-mom-guilt/#comment-28 LOL - you're so right about the cookie/excercise thing! I think lots of us moms are afraid that once we start trying to go green, we'll be overwhelmed by all the things we "should" do. Your site is great at encouraging small, simple, (cheap!) and obvious things we can all do without a lot of stress. Sara Mama2Gabe LOL - you’re so right about the cookie/excercise thing!

I think lots of us moms are afraid that once we start trying to go green, we’ll be overwhelmed by all the things we “should” do. Your site is great at encouraging small, simple, (cheap!) and obvious things we can all do without a lot of stress.

Sara
Mama2Gabe

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