We've created a monster. You see, our son is completely committed to Starbucks. It started out as I would innocently get him a (free) babyccino with each cappuccino I purchased. (I am a caffeine addiction mom with a soft spot for free things. But hey, I always try to bring my own reusable mug. See pictured.) I didn't realize that over time, my dear child began to recognise their logo. In airports, in Kansas, across London, he would scream for Starbucks as he was able to easily identify their sign (not to mention all their stores are designed to look alike - we were in sunny California and it was like we hadn't left London).
Henry used to get a babyccino in a small paper cup. No biggie, I thought. But then - in a moment of weakness - I gave him an Innocent smoothie with the plastic straw and wrapper. This was before my plastic-free February challenge and while I did think about the waste (briefly) I didn't ever occur to me that Henry would want one each time we visited Starbucks. And that adds up to a lot of waste.
I'll admit: it's not Starbucks that is the problem. I could say no to my 2 year old. Easy, right. But to me, parenting takes such strength - and digging yourself out of a habit/rut can be time consuming and challenging. But no one said it was easy. So I'm going to cut back. And convince Henry that just as we turn off the lights when we leave the room, we are going to cut back on all the trash we make. (He has the most adorable eco-book that talks about these issues - and has been very good at screaming/reminding me to turn off our lights. He's also quite the recycler.)
How do you manage with your children? Any suggestions?
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