The Eco House

I get a lot of catalogs in the mail. That's what happens when you order on-line from a company. Somehow everyone wants to send you their catalog and get you to buy their nifty products. At times it's amusing to see the junk catalogs that arrive in the mail.

Today I got a catalog for fancy children's toys. We're talking a catalog filled with precocious looking children made for yuppy parents. "I must have this toy or my child will not reach his intellectual potential!" It was fun to look through the catalog and see what toys were available. Some of the toys were cute, but many were pointless. Regardless, I would never buy any for my kids because that would eat up their whole Christmas budget with one lame gift.

I found one item highly amusing and too over the top, the "Eco House." The description from the catalog is as follows:

"Dolls and kids can add the rewards of saving energy to pretend-play fun when they set up housekeeping in this ecologically friendly home that includes a windmill, rain barrel, solar panels, recycling bins, shower, and motor bike.

A great way to introduce an awareness of "green" living, the house includes handsome energy- and resource-saving furnishings, too. Made of renewable rubber wood and recycled wood, natch."



Wow! Can we get it? Maybe after we are done playing with it I can have a fun chat with my kids about global warming over tofu dogs and organically grown corn chips. Yes! But maybe not the chips because that may be too much fun and induce pleasure in my children.

Argh! Why do I need to introduce my 4 year old to "green" living? She knows the basics about how we should be nice to the earth, like don't throw trash on the ground, etc. But an Eco-Friendly Doll house? Yes, let's keep sucking all the fun out of childhood that we can. Think of the hours or pretend play the kids can have. I know Cinderella lived in an eco-house, right? My kids would be so confused as to what those silly looking solar panels on the roof are. Or the recycling containers. And I guess Eco people only believe in eating and sleeping since that is all the home offers. We can pretend to eat meals and then recycle. Whoa! Hold me back! How can I order one now?! I am all about being kind to the earth, but everything has it's place.

This "cool" new doll house is just another example of how insane our world has become. Let's shove "green" living down our children's throats at an early age. That is what is important. Forget about teaching them to be responsible and independent people. And don't even dare to mention morals or God. No, eco-living will save our problems! So we'll end up with a really nice planet full of a bunch of evil and corrupt people. Sweet! No, I think I'll stick with my kids' Christmas lists for Barbies and dump trucks. I know I'll screw them up for life with such corruption, but it's a chance I am willing to take. They are only children once!