20 Feb
In the “getting to know you” part of the college composition class I teach, I may have alluded to my illustrious career here at the Green Baby Guide. I explained to my students that the Green Baby Guide was all about finding ways to minimize the impact a baby has on the planet. You know, reducing the amount of baby gear you buy, finding deals at garage sales, using cloth diapers–
“I would NEVER use cloth diapers!” a student screeched. “Sorry,” she said a moment later, clamping her mouth shut.

Jamieson Diemer grew up green–whether she wanted to or not.
Of course I assured her that if she ever had a baby of her own, she could simply log on to the Green Baby Guide, where she would find so much practical, encouraging advice to make the whole cloth diapering process–
“Sorry!” She shook her head with finality. “Not going to do it. No way, no how. Nuh-uh.” (All right, she did not phrase her distaste quite like that. That’s what we composition teachers like to refer to as hyperbole.)
So passionate was my student on the topic of “green living” that she devoted her first essay assignment to the subject. It explained a lot. You see, my student’s cloth diaper repulsion was rooted in experience with a younger sibling and . . . you guessed it: a Green Mother.
Have you ever worried that as a “green mom,” you were destined to raise a rebellious child who would one day hold a disdain for all things eco? Are we unwittingly raising the next generation of reckless tree killers? Here’s your chance to find out. Read Jamieson Diemer’s thought-provoking essay: Green Mother.
15 Responses for "Are Green Moms Raising a Generation of Children Who Won’t Care about the Environment?"
That’s an interesting response, although it seems logical . I also teach freshman comp and while I haven’t seen that response, I have been suprised at how many of my students will use a “green” friend/relative/etc to justify not really needing to be concerned. They do seem to have a mindset that one must either be entirely “green” or it’s not worth doing anything. This seems to come mostly from students who grew up with very strict conceptions of eco friendliness. It actually doesn’t seem to be that much different from my students who grow up with very strict religious, moral, or other ideological backgrounds. When there isn’t a “grey” area, rebellion seems like a much higher risk.
My husband and I are making are trying to make some green baby choices for our soon-to-arrive baby. I know we could do more, but one of the things I keep telling myself is that I also have to give myself permission to not feel guilty if we can’t do everything. I have, however, gotten some fabulous ideas from your blog that I wouldn’t have thought of. Thanks.
I’d really be interested in her essay…but every time I click on it I get an error message. Is it working for everyone else?
Here’s the correct link: http://greenbabyguide.com/article-green-mother/
Sorry about that! I fixed the link.
This was a very good essay. I really enjoyed reading it. Jamieson has a good way of articulating how the “coiled spring” effect can ricochet a child into the opposite philosophical spectrum of their parents. Children always want to know why something is important, and how the world works. A parent’s job is to form a child’s world view, not just force them to do seemingly arbitrary tasks. If a child feels unnecessarily repressed during childhood s/he will quickly shed all former habits upon entering adulthood. I think the key here is to do exactly what Jamieson said – to have your child do the “green” thing, but to tell the child why. Include the child in the decision process, and they will adopt the philosophy.
Great article! I worry about this myself. My 4 y.o. son LOVES monster trucks and doesn’t understand that we walk to school so we won’t “hurt the birds.” (Is there some better way to explain why we don’t drive? It’s only four blocks!)
Gina, I’m hoping you’re right – that as he gets older, I can explain more of the whys and wherefores and raise kids that understand – even if I visit them in college and find that they’re living on Taco Bell!
To Abby: I would try to think on a four year old’s level. My oldest is also four, and I try to see it from his angle. In your case, explaining that you need to get exercise and keep your hearts healthy might be easier to understand than why it’s environmentally smart. As he gets older, you can introduce more of those, more abstract concepts to him.
G, I have heard that attitude before, too. It’s not all or nothing! Just because you can’t do everything, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything. (Writing lesson: try not to use as many cliches as I just did in the last couple sentences!) Also, you’re right that extremist parents–whether they be eco-extremists or religious extremists–are likely to produce rebellious offspring.
Gina, I think you (and of course Jamieson) are on the right track. We’ve got to teach the kids why we’re doing what we’re doing. So far (at age three) Audrey has not questioned my desire to compost and sort the trash. What if she becomes a teen who doesn’t recycle?! I mustn’t let that happen!
Abby, Last summer I wrote a post called Little Water Wasters, and I asked my readers how to talk about water conservation with my two year-old. There are some good ideas in the comments section of that post! Ana also has a good point about keeping the conversations at a youngster’s level. Is four years too young for a viewing of An Inconvenient Truth?
How sad! My heart was breaking when I read Jamieson’s essay. We work really hard to explain to our 5 yr old why we do things. It seems to be working for her so far. She calls herself an “Earth Helper” and a lot of her creative play revolves around environmental activist type activities.
I’m so proud of her! Since I’m a mom who loves to brag on her kids check out my link for to read about one of my proud mom moments. I also have other posts on ways to teach young children why and how you can be an environmentalist.
Great post Rebecca!
how interesting–i’ll have to read that essay. I would like to think the opposite would be true, but I could be wrong.
Excellent post – and such a true thing. We worry so much about doing things “just so” – whether faith, environmentalism, politics, etc. – that sometimes as a parent we forget to explain why we do/believe things the way we do.
What a great essay and website!
In her essay, it seemed to be bigger than just not explaining her philosophy. I got the impression of a very insensitive parent who wasn’t listening to her child’s true feelings about what was going on. Obviously, this is only one side of the story…but feeling like she had no choice in assisting a homebirth and her strong fears about germs being ignored were pretty insensitive. Those are issues that go beyond living a green lifestyle. I really didn’t even feel that having a Green Mother was REALLY what the essay was about. It was more about not being heard.
This is a little off topic; I used to be very opposed to cloth diapering. I never would’ve considered using cloth diapers if it wasn’t for my sister. She convinced me to give them a try. I knew how bad the disposables were for the environment; I just didn’t want to deal with the hassle of cleaning the cloth diapers. She gave me an article about the chemicals that are in disposables and the effects that they have on our children(especially boy babies). I couldn’t stand putting a toxin filled disposable on my son’s bottom, so I chose to use cloth diapers. I found a local diaper service(Bear Bottoms) that would come to my house once a week to pick up my dirty cloth diapers and clean them for me.
The link to read “Geen Mother” is not working. Can you send it to me? I am Jamieson Diemer’s mother.
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