We learned during the pandemic that we couldn't depend on others. We had to become self-reliant again. The biggest takeaway from the pandemic should be the rekindling of the renaissance man and woman. In the past decade prior to the pandemic, Americans started to take real pride in outsourcing the fundamentals of living. Perhaps due to Amazon, Uber and Instacart, outsourcing grocery shopping, lawn mowing and housecleaning rapidly became a status symbol. The internal motto of Americans has morphed from "I can do anything on my own to ... my time is worth more." But what are we really teaching our children when we outsource everything? Nothing. We are actually crippling them from childrearing's greatest goal: self-sufficiency.
Rather than teaching our children that we are "better than" small tasks or that our time is worth more, switch the narrative into how much joy is gained from creating something beautiful and how much money can be saved by being crafty or handy.
A perfect example, I spotted a pumpkin bouquet at the florist shop costing $37. My toddler and I recreated this at home costing less than a third of the price.
Here's how you do it... Buy: - A pumpkin $4 - A few different varieties of flowers $6
- Small plastic container (free from the deli counter)
- Floral green sponge ($2 for enough to make 10 pumpkins)
Obviously the more you create the more you save.
At home:
1. Cut off the stem to a dimension that allows the small deli-sized plastic container to fit inside as the internal vase. This keeps the pumpkin from prematurely rotting.
2. Fill with a small block of floral green foam soaked in water. 3. Arrange the flowers in your pumpkin.
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