“Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” Series: Week One
Sometimes I think I’m like most parents: I want my kids to have a childhood, a real childhood. I don’t expect it to be pain-free — who among us got that? — but I believe it can also be filled with wonder and joy and laughter.
There are plenty of other times, however, that I feel like I’m not like any other parent I know. We restrict television to some carefully-chosen videos. My kids have never walked through the door of a McDonald’s, and they still have no idea what a Happy Meal is. They don’t use the computer. I regularly weed out the many Disney princess products that are given as gifts, crossing my fingers that my daughter won’t notice a toy’s sudden absence (she usually doesn’t).
What’s my problem? other parents sometimes ask. What’s the big deal?
Children today are bombarded with plastic, limiting toys that do not expand their imagination or aid their development. Not only can 