Australia is burning, Greenland is melting, the Kiribati Islands are sinking and it can’t
last longer. Eco-anxiety is at its peak. The generations that precede us have done anything with the planet, we have no other choice but to rely on future generations to correct things. But how can we explain to our children that we are leaving them a world in peril?
While I was racking my brains with this question, the public school took it upon themselves to answer it – in part. My son came back from kindergarten humming Monsieur Toulmonde, the song of Aldebert who wonders what we have done with the blue planet. A playful and light way of approaching a theme that is neither playful nor light. Once the child has understood the idea that the environment was a precious asset to be protected, things get complicated.
Should we start a lecture on the release of methane from permafrost and climate feedback loops? Not sure that we capture the attention of a kid who spends his time collecting images of football players.
soccer. I therefore proceed to an evaluation test to adapt my pedagogy.
– Son, do you know where the pollution is coming from?
– Yes, it’s because there are a lot of factories.
– Indeed, what else?
– There are too many planes and traffic jams with trucks and polluting cars.
It’s just. However, I do not have the heart to explain to him that the carbon footprint of his Bey Blade spinner made in a Chinese factory is deplorable. Do we really have to instill in him a feeling of morbid guilt at an age which should be that of recklessness? Do we not spoil the conscience of our kids too early with issues that go beyond them?
“You are responsible for the end of the world! It is heavy to carry for an individual under six years of age who eats fine particles all day long. But there is an emergency, so I continue my investigation:
– And you, do you think you can do something for the planet?
– You have to remember to turn off the tap when I brush my teeth.
– Alright, what else?
– So, do we do a Uno?
I can see that he is starting to be force-fed by my ecological catechism? Let’s not insist for the moment, that would be counterproductive. I reassure myself by telling myself that he is not too badly informed for his age: “BIO” is the first word he deciphered (easy, it’s written in large numbers on all the products that land on the table. of the meal.) Anyway, I gave him a beating at Uno
and we had an (organic) snack. At the end, he spontaneously asked me in which trash to throw his apple core.
It’s a good start. It’s not impossible that he yells at me the next time I get on a plane.