Some changes that were much awaited

It's been quite a while since I updated my blog. For the past month or more, I had been busy with the proceedings of our new home and moving in to the new home. It's definitely a big task to weed out all the items that you no longer need and to organise the items that are only needed most in the home.

Yes. I have always been thinking to make some changes in the way we live (lifestyle changes) and the movement has been a good opportunity for me to make a start in that matter.

Some things that I had in mind were:

1. Get rid of plastic toys, or rather, all toys.

Because, they are absolutely not needed. Nature provides ample resources and opportunities for a child's growth.

No, we had not bought all of them, or even, most of them. But, still, toys just get spread all around the home in the form of gifts from near and dear ones. Though there were many toys lying around, children showed more interest in the things that I was doing, mainly, reading, writing, cooking, talking to people, paying bills, swiping the card, handing over cash to the retailer/seller, taking the balance money, talking to auto wallahs, e-mailing, replying to texts, taking calls, dealing with life and all the real experiences that they can be exposed to in an open environment and definitely not in a closed room with just toys or books or worksheets or multimedia so that they are glued to their places for sometime.

Most of you would already know and understand how the markets are flooded with attractive toys, so appealing that even adults would get tempted to buy for their children. Industrialization and machine manufacturing has surely succeeded to produce goods in bulk that sells for a price that is lesser than any handmade item. And, even the economy has risen that the consumer does not feel it is a burden to spend money on an attractive play item which may be hardly used by the child.

What are all the points that are quoted for marketing children's' toys and why don't we find them in nature?

• Stacking : easily and more interestingly done with household kitchen items.
• Shape sorting: very conveniently done with items available at home. 
• Fine motor skill development: Beading set : instead of buying that plastic beading set, one could actually make a flower garland(or mango leaves garland), also, we are close to nature during that time, that is very pleasing to one's mind. 
• Lacing set: play around with real shoes and laces, why buy a toy or a quiet book for it?
• Many more, all of which have interesting substitutes that can be found in nature.

2. Let the child just be, grow up naturally, with minimal interference of artificial stuff around the home.

3. Make stuff, that can be made at home, at home

Having learnt that there are many things that could be made at home, I had my own list in mind. Things like floor cleaning liquids, liquid had wash, body soaps, dish washing liquid, ketchup, and some more.

4. Live a wise life and not like a robot

Ever since my child started school and there was rush in doing things right from the moment I open my eyes in the morning, I have been wondering, is the child's time, effort, energy and rush worth the way she spends time during the day. 

Children love it when they are left free, not bound by rules. Children learn more when they are on their own, not when they are surrounded by instructions and rules about doing things. 

Children are not robots or programmed devices to just wake up at 6, get ready by 7, board the bus at 7 30, reach school, follow instructions, do what is asked to be done, sit silently in class, return tired and frustrated by all that has happened. How can a child use his wisdom when he is continuously being programmed to work in a specific manner? Every person takes birth with a certain purpose in their life. How can the child get closer to himself? Why does it usually happen that, only after 20-21 years of school and college life, one tries to understand himself, the world around him and think about what actually interests him. May be because, that was the time that he got for himself. All the time until then went in programming him by other adults. 

Hence, why can't we give this precious gift to children - TIME? There would be another post on how I intend to do it. 

5. Be close to nature.

Have regular(everyday) sightings with the sun, moon, stars, clouds, air, soil, water. Express gratitude for nature and everything around. Grow own food. Grow a tree for my children to climb up. Make compost. Learn about growing food. Learn about soil. Learn about plants and seasons. 

6. Lessen use of plastic and machines/devices

We could stitch cloth bags and use them for the regular shopping. We could use AC or the washing machine only when it is absolutely necessary. 

7. Buy clothes only when it is necessary. 

I have stopped buying new clothes from a year now and feel very good about it. I reuse my old, rarely used sarees for any occasion. 

How I implement these changes and how a day looks like would be coming up in the next post. 

Thanks for reading!