The German Way, one of the expat blogs I follow, has a new post on parenting, schooling, and career training as seen in Germany and the USA: More German than the Germans. It looks at overprotective vs. let the kids run mommies, at career choices made at 21 vs. 15. It is well worth reading.
Paper or plastic? Bag from South Africa. My friend recently came back from a trip to South Africa and brought me a reusable grocery bag. It is from Woolworths, one of the largest retail chains in South Africa; it is made by a community project and serves as a symbol of the company's commitment to sustainability and social development. I will think of this whenever I use my new bag. Thank you, dear friend! The Woolworths bag is not my first reusable bag. I carry two baggies which fold up into packs smaller than a deck of cards in my purse and a bunch of bigger ones in the trunk of my car. To me this feels like an easy way of making a difference environmentally. Others seem to have a harder time. When the county of Los Angeles recently introduced a ban on plastic bags for its unincorporated areas the new ordinance was met with resistance. Shops bemoan that paper is more expensive than plastic. They charge customers ten cents for every paper bag. Shoppers complain about ...
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Very good! I guess I'm more German than the Germans (my heritage way-back is German, so...). I like that she said, “Well, this is exactly what they need to learn: how to watch out for each other.”
I'm a firm believer that kids: 1)are allowed to make mistakes, 2)are encouraged to speak to mom of such mistakes without reprimand (if information is volunteered - lying negates generosity), 3)we correct mistakes together, 4)next time the occasion arises to make mistakes, better decisions usually result.
As independent adults now, my kids still make plenty of mistakes, but they understand the consequences and face them head-on. How do they learn this if too protected?
Thank you for your comment. Learning to take responsibility - if we could learn that! There'd be no more bail outs...