Save Today For A Better Tomorrow
A few days ago, as mom-in-law had just finished giving my son a bath, I noticed that she had left around 2 mugs of water in the bucket. For my 10 month old, bath time is fun time with splashing, toys and laughter. Usually, even when he’s done with the shower, we play a splashing game with the remaining amount of water. “Pour the little water left in bucket on him mom. He will enjoy!” I suggested.
What my mom-in-law said next gave me the Eureka moment of parenting…
“Using a natural resource more than we need amounts to wastage. We are lucky to be born in a place that isn’t drought affected. Only if we save water today, our son will have water tomorrow.”
Her words kept hovering in my mind for several minutes. As parents we want to provide the best to our children. We strive hard so that our children have everything in sufficient quantities. In this quest to provide the best for our kids, we often mistake abundance for sufficiency. Children too grow up thinking, “It’s OK, our parents can afford anything.” Sometimes this very notion takes them away from a basic lesson in life – Only if we use judiciously and conserve the rest, our future generations will have abundant natural resources.
Reading about the drought hit villages in Marathwada region, I wonder – We might have abundant today, but not all are that lucky. Would I want my child to splash water left in the bucket and have fun, when there is a child of his age, thirsty in drought stricken Latur? Definitely not.
Counting our blessings and giving back to the society are some of the best lessons we can teach our children. Instead of giving them the message, “It’s all right, we can afford to splurge”, our message can be “Let’s save what we splurge for those who don’t even have the basics.” We may be leading a comfortable life in the metros, but often it is at the cost of regions that are crying for basic resources.
Few easy tips can help conserve water in our everyday life –
• Opt for bucket baths instead of showers or use water saving low floor showers.
• Turn the tap off while brushing or shaving.
• This year, the children of our society decided to play dry Holi and trust me, the fun was no less!
• Check your house for hidden water leaks and dripping taps.
• Ditch that water wasting bubble bath.
• Avoid using a hose to clean the vehicles.
• Supervising and guiding our domestic help to follow water saving practices.
As parents, the best way we can teach our children is to lead by example. Let’s not limit conservation of resources to school projects and speeches and make it a part of our everyday life. It may not be comfortable to switch habits overnight. Often, we may feel tempted to ditch the bucket and treat ourselves to a leisurely shower after a sweaty day. However, let’s not forget that little drops of water make the mighty ocean.
What we teach our kids today will shape them into responsible citizens of tomorrow!
Shaivi says – Banker by day, blogger by night – that’s me. After a decade of dabbling into hospitality, corporate communications, training, employee engagement and banking, motherhood is the new role that keeps me on my toes! Nothing gives me more happiness than bringing a smile on someone’s face and learning something new each day; and blogging provides me a platform to do that. I blog at Shaivi ka funda. So here I am, to share my experiences as a new mom and get insights from experienced parents.
