Lessons Lost

Like good modern consumers we "recycle"; paper products, aluminum, steel, glass... whatever our curb-side recycler will haul away. We also "reduce" and "re-use" wherever possible, completing the 3R's triad. This leaves us feeling like responsible citizens and parents, setting a strong example for our children to follow into their adulthood as they inherit an ecologically stressed world.

Spring is in full swing and our lawn's rich green hue has hit its annual peak. Standing in stark contrast, however, are the intermixed golden-brown patches of dog ownership, worn by the lawn like badges of dishonor. Washing the soil and over-seeding are rites of Spring in our yard and I recently completed the task while taking care to be conscientious and resourceful.

I was busy scattering grass seed on bare patches when my assumption that our children had been observing and learning from their parents' example began to unravel. The idea of "Re-use" should not be a foreign one, or confusing, I thought. "Re-use" was such a simple and well demonstrated practice in our home... I thought.

Not one, but TWO of my kids (I'm not naming names) approached me while I worked and asked... why was I sprinkling Parmesan Cheese on the grass.

I won't say who it was. But surprisingly enough, neither of them was blond.