There seems to be this fine line between being paranoid, scared of germs, checking lists, looking at ingredients and wondering if a cup or straw is safe to drink out of. It’s a lot for a parent to sort through and figure out and way back when life did seem simpler.
It was simpler to chase the truck with the pesticides spraying out the back because it was a cloud and fun.
It was simpler to ride in a car without a car seat and climb all over the place and just use moms hand as a seat belt.
It was simpler to wear no sunscreen and burn because a tan was cool and then be 30 worried about skin cancer.
It was simpler to wonder around the streets without much supervision at a young age because the child predators weren’t online and being booked and caught left and right.
It was simpler to just paint the walls with lead paint because the government “said” it was safe and use the DDT on our vegetables because it kept the bugs off.
Ah, the simpler days of being more naive. The simpler days of not thinking and throwing caution to the wind. Now we know more and are more cautious, more cynical, ask more questions, demand answers and want things to be safe and not just trust what we are being told. Personally, it seems simpler but no today we’re paying for the simpler days in more ways than one.
Today we have records of lead poisonings and those harmed by the pesticides thought to be safe.
Today we have high skin cancer rates.
Today we have high infertility rates.
Today we have marine life being born asexual or with low sperm counts because of the prescription drugs and pollution to our water.
Tomorrow is what I’m hopeful for. If we didn’t have the Environmental Working Group, Healthy Child Healthy World and other activism groups fighting for changes, asking questions and parents like myself and others that are trying hard to dissect it all and not stick are heads in the sand and pretend and just ignore the information out there - I’m not sure I’d be hopeful tomorrow and for the future our kids will have. I’m all for the underground mom movement and living life and letting kids play in the woods and eat an Oreo but remember the simpler days are something were paying for today and that tomorrow we don’t want to pay for something we could have prevented.Green and Clean Mom is a Premier Content Partner of SustainLane. You can read more from her at Green and Clean Mom, where she writes about how going green is sexy, sassy and fun. Sommer is a social networking and marketing consultant and passionate mother and teacher. Find her on twitter as @greenmom.
