Okay, we've watched The Story of Stuff (if you haven't, make a cup of tea, put your feet up for 20 minutes and watch it too, please) and while it's stimulating a little more conversation than usual about sustainability at our house, it sometimes seems as if nothing will stop the girl's unquenchable thirst to buy more stuff.
Other resources that will appeal to kids? Repeated discussions aren't working. I prefer modeling sustainable buying habits over guilt trips, but it's not driving the point home either.
I don't want to lay down the law. I want to share information with her and guide her towards reconsidering her needs.
If you have books, websites, ideas that work at your house, I would LOVE it if you shared them with us in comments. I'm at my wits end stemming the tide of mass produced furry animals and American Girl Doll paraphernalia. I feel like I spend my days dusting, laundering, organizing and finding homes for things as opposed to spending time with people I love. And yes, I've tried to stress this in my obviously not very compelling argument.
may I suggest the simple of law of in-out? If something comes in, something else has to go out. I am back to using it on everything except yarn. :-)
Posted by: Michele | January 12, 2008 at 02:29 PM
I LOVE the law of in-out where my personal belongings are concerned, as is Mr. Pear. Often by the time I've decided what's going to go and made it go, you've decided you didn't need the "in" item after all. I recently passed along a bread machine to make room for a dehydrator. The relief of having one less counter top appliance gathering dust made me decide against the dehydrator. I have too many interests right now to add raw food.
It's Mini-pear who needs much convincing in this regard;(
Posted by: triple P | January 12, 2008 at 02:41 PM
You may already have this one but The Lorax by Dr Suess is a good one. Also, just read this on another blog...http://imabima.blogspot.com/2008/01/for-love-of-trees-tu-bshevat-is-coming.html. We buy mostly 2nd hand books (and hard to relate this to toys) but may be a good discussion with her. I know you like thrifting too, does she share that like with you? Violet collects & buys Cabbage patch dolls at thrift shops, so I think in someways, even though she's still buying "things" at least it something that's recycled rather than purchased new at the store.
Posted by: Mandy | January 16, 2008 at 01:04 PM