We took our five year old to a kid’s birthday party over the weekend. It was standard fare - sheet cakes, cookies, fruit juice, soda, disposable plastic everything. And a pile of presents for the birthday kid.
Who benefits from this scenario, I wonder?
Our kids, who are taught to expect this set up, are overjoyed to receive it. That's how we show our love, right?
And parents find valuable connection by doing what others are doing. And without the need for much thought or creativity investment.
But...
When you think about it, everyone walked away from the party with an overdose of a substance linked to serious cardiometabolic diseases. And our planet, our children's planet, got more carbon released into its atmosphere, more toxic plastic, more landfill waste. That sounds like the opposite of love.
Sugar companies, plastic manufacturers, sheet cake sellers, soda makers, big online retailers, paper manufacturers, loggers, oil companies, shipping companies, and marketers certainly feel the love in this scenario.
Instead, what if..?
You had a party with no plastic, only compostables.
You featured your local composting service. And trash and recycling were clearly marked with instructions.
You and two friends baked home-made treats, like muffins, using a lot less sugar than a store-bought cake or cookies.
You bought juice boxes, like from Honest, which are mostly water with no added sugar.
You asked guests not to bring gifts, but bring an item for donation to a local charity instead.
Rather than gathering in of celebration your kid's birthday (which everyone has by default), you gathered in celebration of your kid's friendships.
Protecting our kids from disease and showing them what it means to be healthy, generous, and responsible - that's love. So is setting a new, sustainable, standard for our peers.
Maybe some will roll their eyes at you. But that's just because they were taught to expect the cake.
Teach them something different.
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