Cphkids

The other day I found myself contemplating ‘sustainability’. I had been chatting with a friend about ecology, sustainability and a better future for Mother Earth. In my everyday life I’m fairly good at turning off the lights and not letting the water run when I brush my teeth and I do make an effort to buy ecological. I’m no fanatic, just conscious.

That night as I’m tidying my kids’ clothes, I come across a pair of new socks with a big hole in the heel. It’s there because my son often finds it tiresome to put on shoes, if he has taken them off but has to go and pick something from the garden or the schoolyard.

As I head for the kitchen to dump the socks in the bin, I remind myself to go to H&M to get another supply of socks, underwear and pants for my son. Long ago I decided not to buy expensive clothes for my son, because he’d ruin it or wear it out within a week or two. But as I’m thinking this I start to remember, how I as a child got my big sister’s hand-me-downs.

LECTURES ON EXPENSIVE CLOTHES

My mother would buy quality clothes like blouses from ‘Nørregaard paa Strøget’ and Oshkosh-overalls. I recall how my mother made nice patches or did fine needlework on our clothes whenever a hole appeared – something I don’t remember ever having done with my kids’ clothes. In stead I take the convenient short cut and throw it out. “It hasn’t cost much”, is my main excuse.

But, when I DO buy expensive clothes for my kids, it’s a different story all together. Firstly, I lecture my kids that clothes like this do not come cheap and that it’s possible to mind your clothes without taking the fun out of playing. Secondly, I make sure to check the “expensive” clothes for holes or loose threads before the damage is done. And I do so, because I find that the quality of more expensive clothes stays intact after several washes, whereas it only takes a few washes to make off-the-peg look old and worn.

QUALITY VS. CHEAP

So, as I stand there by the bin weighing the holey socks in my hand, I ponder; does it count for sustainability to buy clothes of such quality that you can hand it down to siblings or even the next generation? I mean, not only eco-clothes are sustainable. Seen in a broader perspective buying a quality T-shirt that will last longer than three cheap T-shirts is both good business and a clear evidence of sustainability.

That’s why I find it OK to teach children to take care of ones clothes as well as books, toys and electronic gear. I clearly remember how I wore my big sister’s hand-me-downs with pride. And, when my own kids were small they too wore hand-me-downs – without protests. But as they’ve become more conscious and accustomed to new “threads” I seriously doubt, they’ll appreciate second hand treasures.

This winter will be the BIG test. I’m making it my project to learn the fine art of needlework and mending holes in socks and trousers. And while I sit there pricking my fingers with the needle, I’ll remind myself, that in long run buying quality clothes is better for both my own economy and the environment. But winter is far away, it’s summer for now, and I have no desire to pull out needle and thread right now and be “sustainable”, and that’s why the holey socks end up in the bin – once again.

UNTIL NEXT TIME..

 Remember to drop by the photo shoot at CPH kids where I’ll be styled the georgious models from 1kid.