Bad habits

The kids and I were in the car tonight after a birthday party and I decided to swing by Chick-fil-A to grab some dinner for myself before heading home. As we pulled into the drive-thru, the kids asked for some water, so I asked for a cup of water. They were unhappy that I didn't get two, and I told them that I only ordered one because I knew they were good at sharing and because it would mean less waste. That sparked a conversation about trash and taking care of the planet, climate change (the difference between weather and climate), fossil fuels, and electric cars. As we finally pulled away with our food (it was Chick-fil-A at dinnertime in the south, after all), Clark looks at the takeout food and says, "that's still a lot of plastic."

He's not wrong. And I told him so. 

Then as we get on the interstate to drive home, he says, "Mom, how come grownups talk about taking care of the planet but don't really do anything about it?"

Floored. 

"They just keep driving cars that use gasoline," he added.

I told him that he was absolutely right but that there are people who are trying to change. We also talked about Greta Thunberg and some of the other young people pushing for action. "It's important but it's also really hard to make changes," I told him. "I need to drive to get to work, for example."

"Like it's hard to change a bad habit. Like when you like it even though you know it's not good for your body?"

Seriously, kid. 

I love having conversations with my kids like this - even if they sometimes leave me feeling inadequate. We have to work to change these bad habits, people. The future depends on it.