The disposable mentality seems to get more prominent with each generation. My grandmother, who was an adult during the Great Depression, saved everything. She seemed to be subconsciously worried that something of a similar nature could happen again and she was going to be prepared. The only reason she doesn’t save everything she owns anymore is because her apartment is too small.
My mom saves less than my grandma, but still quite a bit more than I do. She’s been known to save buttons, glass jars, scraps of material and plastic containers with abandon.
I seem to have picked up a little of that mentality too, though my mom has looked at me with something like disbelief/disapproval as I’ve pitched certain things. I freely toss plastic bags, aluminum foil and even, gasp, glass jars. I have a hard time not saving certain things though, “just in case.” It seems like I’ll get tired of something or it’ll not work quite right, so I’ll put it in the attic and then a few years later, I’ll need or want it again. Or I’ll save a cool-looking bottle or jar, thinking that I might want to use it someday.
Right. Decisions like that usually cost me a lot of storage space and cleaning time, particularly since I don’t even remember what I’ve saved.
My kids think just about everything is disposable, and totally replaceable, just because so many household items are today. We have disposable containers, disposable plates, batteries, you name it. That’s what the kids see, so when something happens to an expensive item, they say, “Well, we can just get a new one.” Uh, no. They, particularly the younger ones, don’t have a clue how to put a value on their belongings.
The boys each got a Leapster for Christmas. Cody has that GameBoy obsession I referred to in my post, The GameBoy Addiction, so I thought a Leapster might be a good gift for him since it’s supposed to be educational. Sure enough, like many toys before them, both Leapsters have already started acting funny, most likely because they have been dropped on the floor more than once. <<gritting teeth>>
When I said that the Leapster just probably isn’t working right anymore, Cody nonchalantly said he’d just get a new one. I tried to explain that Leapsters are not cheap and that once it breaks, that’s it, so he better learn to take care of it. He just looked at me with a blank expression, clearly not understanding why this wasn’t as replaceable as a roll of toilet paper.
I’m sure it’s hard for little kids in this century to grasp which things are disposable and which are not (can you say “dollar store?”), but I think it’s important to teach them to respect and take care of their belongings anyway.
Some day we might not have the luxury of throwing things away so easily.
What do you think about the disposable mentality and its effect on kids?
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I agree it is hard to teach kids to respect their things so that they will last a long time. We don’t produce a lot of garbage in our house — for the past several weeks we have usually had one white kitchen garbage bag for pick-up every week, but sometimes we have two. (I do burn paper and cardboard most of the time, which cuts down a little bit.) But it’s not a lot of garbage for a family of 4, I think.
However, I do not hesitate to throw away toys that are broken (especially if I don’t like them!) — but I usually get stuff at yard sales, so if something was very cheap or free, it’s not a big deal to throw it away. If my kids want something, they’ll say, “We have to find it at a yard sale,” which I’m sure I’ve taught them.
A lot of the time my older son would say, “We have to get a new one,” to which I’d respond, “If we can find one at a yard sale….” Sometimes, of course, I’ll tell him that X costs a lot of money, but I don’t know that he really understands. I think it’s more concrete to him that “it’s hard to find that at a yard sale.” The same degree of difficulty to replace, but more tangible for my 3 & 5 y/o.
But sometimes, it just comes down to, “Be nice to your toys,” or, “Don’t drop that,” or “Don’t stand on that!!!” or, “If you break it, that’s it — we won’t be able to find a new one.”
I’m glad you reposted this one — lots to think about. My kids are actually very conscious of reusing bags, taking a thermos of water to school instead of bottled water, ect. When it comes to toys, though, I don’t think I’ve taught them as well.
You can help children get over that mentality real quick by helping them find ways to earn the money they’ll need to pay for replacing something they broke or lost. When kids have to work for something, they have a greater appreciation for it. Even kindergartners can learn to do chores to earn money to pay for something they think they value. This can be taught with a loving heart. It doesn’t have to be a punishment, just a life lesson–a good one that they’ll take with them into adulthood.