I live in an era in which I’m expected to devote resources to provide my children enrichment opportunities, all with the notion that it will somehow serve them in the future, maybe even get into college. There’s a whole industry around this, starting when babies are drooling in diapers. It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy because what parent doesn’t want his or her child to try archery or throw clay on a wheel?
I wonder though how this mania translates into adulthood.
That is, what sort of future adults are we shaping when we condition children from a young age to assume whole chunks of time, energy and other resources are to be devoted to their personal interests? America is only 5% of the world’s population but consumes almost 25% of its resources so what expectations of the world are we already giving them? And when they’re adults, how will all this individual enrichment equip them to heal, let alone inhabit, a world we’ve damaged in pursuit of personal interests?
The other day a friend was in Costco with her children where bananas cost $1.50 a bunch. She took the time to explore with them how mounds of bananas could be in the Midwest at that price. They talked about how and where they were grown, when they were picked, who did the picking and packaging, how they were shipped. The kids learned that the purchase price doesn’t cover the true cost of bananas.
That’s the sort of enrichment opportunity our children need.
It is also what the world needs.
"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." Native American proverb
"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." Native American proverb
Great post, Mary. I like your statement about how easy it is to get "caught up in the frenzy." Interestingly, right before I read your entry, I read about this new book that broaches (what I think is) a variation of what you are discussing. It's called, "Enough." Here's a link if you're interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://minimalmac.com/post/19617008051/enough-available-today
I'm thinking about this as I'm hearing mom's talk about the summer ahead packed with day camps and lessons etc., and I'm looking forward to just letting my kids dig in the dirt, roll in the grass, read a book, swim in the lake, etc. Didn't childhood used to be simple? Shouldn't it still be? Miss you and the girls so much Mary, and our garden chats!
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