I don’t mean to minimize the existence of depression. I know it is real and that people battle this affliction constantly. I remember a local teacher having to go out on disability for depression related symptoms. I so can’t relate since I’m hyperactive, nosey and curious, and have way too many plans and ideas bouncing around in my mind.

The state of the environment does depress me to some degree, especially the ubiquitous aspect of plastic everywhere. EnviroWoman impresses me mightily with her brave attempt to avoid all plastic. I look around my own house in dismay and I’m overwhelmed by the amount of plastic from the covering of toilet paper to shampoo containers. I’m old enough to remember dropping glass Prell bottles in our shower decades ago.

What does this have to do with the adoption of older children? I feel strongly that it is my job as their parent, just as with birth children, to teach them about sustainability and our personal responsibility to the planet, and I want a decent life for my grandchildren.

I need to teach the children that there is a huge world outside of their own self-obsessed personas. Kids who’ve not had stability and security, children who’ve been abused and neglected tend to be very self-involved as they’ve had to struggle hard for every single iota of satisfaction in their lives. Every meal, every morsel of food, and even a roof over their heads has been a fight that children shouldn’t have to participate in on a daily basis.

If I want to “normalize” my children, I believe it includes all aspects of parenting from the spiritual to the academic and to the emotional phases of their lives.

This morning at breakfast I was telling them about this particular article, my Bubbas, a dozen sons, were all fascinated. “What can we do Mama?” they’d asked in unison and we brainstormed the obvious. “Let’s recycle the milk cartons, let’s see what kind of plastic we don’t have to buy,” as they all jumped on the bandwagon.

We already never buy sodas; therefore we pre-cycle by not having to recycle. We’re blessed to have tasty well water and we are water drinkers. Everything we grow in the garden doesn’t have to be brought home in plastic bags, we can up our vegetables in reusable glass mason jars, we recycle stuff, don’t buy what we don’t need, and we compost all vegetable scraps. I feel we could do more and by asking the kids to hold me accountable, they are using their brain cells for information that doesn’t include Nintendo nor TV shows…higher order thinking at work with no effort, I like that.

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