INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN WITH
“greening” the community MAYBELLINE VALENTI
T
he sense of belonging is vital for children to grow secure of themselves and happy. It is also one of the ways in which they learn to love and respect. Our job as parents is to offer them the necessary tools to help them be independent while creating a secure and nurturing sense of belonging to the family nucleus.
We can apply these same tools to instill an attachment in our children to a community of responsible human beings that care for the planet. The key is to teach them to be gentle with the earth, animals and plants that surround us, showing them that we are all part of a greater community of living beings that need to utilize the natural resources we have here. Children are the men and women of the future, that’s why we have to make sure we teach them to preserve the planet. There is no need to move to the middle of the mountains and live in total seclusion to achieve this; on the contrary, with just a few adjustments in our lives we can make our little ones the guardians and defenders of the environment and proud members of the green community. ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
It does not matter if you go to the park, just go out to the back yard or have a very small balcony, the most important thing is teaching your little one the variety of sounds, colors and smells that mother nature has given us. Play, have fun, and above all show him how every fruit, vegetable and even meat gets to his mouth, thanks to the earth’s rich soil, water and sun.
Maybelline nació y creció en Maracaibo, Venezuela, donde se graduó con honores en Comunicación Social. Vive en la Florida con su esposo y su hijo de 2 años. Es la editora del blog NaturalmenteMama.com donde escribe sobre vida verde y natural. Maybelline was born and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela where she graduated with honors in Communications. She lives in Florida with her husband and 2-year old son. She is the editor of the blog NaturalmenteMama.com where she writes about natural and green living.
We often try to please our little ones with the latest toy when in reality the most important things are the moments we share, those that make us smile when we remember them. Focus on teaching them values, enjoying “the moment” and seeing the inner beauty in people instead of spending money on that device that will soon be forgotten in the toy basket, use that money to go to the zoo and you’ll be applying the main principle of ecology, which is to reduce, while sharing the love for animals and everything that surrounds us. TEACH BY EXAMPLE
We all know that children are not very good listeners, especially when it comes to “no”. However, children, no matter the age, are excellent imitators. Take advantage of this innate gift and practice what you preach: reduce, reuse and recycle.
MARCH • MARZO 2012 | PLAZA FAMILIA 31