Whilst living in Goa, Saturday mornings would consist of taking the middle three kids to theatre class in Anjuna, and having breakfast at the local cafe while we waited for them. After we had eaten, I would just have enough time to climb the hundreds of steps (or so it seemed) to the the top of the hill to meet the kids after their class.
On this one particular morning, I had just briefly plonked Bo (our youngest child) down on a tree stump before attempting to make the climb, when one of the staff members from the cafe presented him with a trio of balloons in the colours of the Indian flag – leftovers from the Republic Day celebrations the day before. He was so pleased with his gift, his face lit up with joy so I took a couple of snaps, and posted one on Instagram. Later that day, one of my Instagram followers posted a comment on the post, which left a lasting impression on me.
By accepting the balloons and posting the picture, although I hadn’t physically purchased them myself, I guess I was guilty by association. Of course, I have bought balloons in the past, as most people probably have. We always had balloons for our older children’s birthdays when they were younger, and although I hadn’t bought any for a long time, I felt a sudden pang of guilt. It wasn’t that the comment was mean-spirited, it was in fact, written in the nicest possible way, but it really made me stop and think about the impact all these balloons have on the environment, and for what? A brief moment of joy, soon to be forgotten when they burst or blow away.
It really made me stop and think about the impact all these balloons have on the environment, and for what? a brief moment of joy, soon to be forgotten when they burst of blow away. Needless to say, we have never had any balloons since, and none of the kids have missed them!
For Bo’s birthday and other celebrations, we now have bunting, paper lanterns and other homemade decorations, which look much better than balloons anyway, and are a fun activity to get the kids involved with.
What alternatives to balloons to you use? Comment or post a picture below.
