Effective Parenting Skills & Parenting Tips

Even parents who choose to use disposable diapers for reasons of convenience would probably agree on first thought that cloth diapers are more eco-friendly. It just seems like common sense: reusable is better for Mother Earth than single-use. The disposable diaper industry however, is fighting back.

Studies commissioned by disposable diaper manufacturers in the 1990s indicated that in the long run, disposable diapers were actually better for the environment. The manufacturers claimed that cloth diapering required such great amounts of water and electricity that the carbon footprint was larger than that of disposable diapering.

Do Cloth Diapers Harm the Environment More Than Disposables?

If you’re wavering between disposable diapers and cloth diapers, you probably want to know if there’s any truth to these claims. Does cloth diapering harm the environment? The answer is yes – to an extent. Cloth diapers do require extra water and electricity. But that doesn’t mean that the alternative – disposable diapers – is less harmful.

The studies completed in the early 1990s didn’t take into account the harmful chemicals released during the production of disposable diapers or from the discarded diapers themselves. For example, according to a more recent study, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and isopropylbenzene are just a few of the chemicals released into the earth from disposable diapers.

Unless you’re a toxicologist, the chemicals named above may not mean much to you. But you’ve probably heard the term dioxin, which refers to a class of chemical compounds, rather than a single chemical. Dioxins are listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as being extremely toxic, and have been shown to cause cancer.

They are produced as by-products of the bleaching process needed to produce bright white diapers. Whatever effect cloth diapers may have on the environment, it’s certain that they don’t leech toxic chemicals into tile earth or into your baby’s skin. Also, cloth diapering doesn’t put excrement in landfills where it can contaminate ground water and spread disease.

Use Common Sense When Choosing Between Disposables and Cloth Diapers

There’s a wonderful quote from Paula DeVore on the non-profit organization Green America’s website. DeVore runs an organic cotton cloth diaper company named Babyworks, and has been vocal in the controversy between disposable and cloth diapers. She asks if reusable diapers do the same damage to the environment, why hasn’t it been proven that other reusable products, like dishes, do the same (ceramic vs paper dishes, for example).

Why, indeed? Despite all the contradictory information flying around, perhaps the most useful source for parents is common sense. Of course, cloth diapering affects the environment somewhat – but what doesn’t? Learn how to launder and reuse cloth diapers properly, and Mother Earth will thank you. Cloth diapering seems like common sense because it is.

Three qualities revealed through body posture and body gestures are passivity, aggressiveness and assertiveness.

Passivity, or timidity, is shown by mumbling or stuttering, slouching, looking down at the floor, nervously picking at fingers or biting nails, having arms folded in a protective manner with the body hunched, having legs close together to minimize space the body takes up and standing further from another person than a confident person would stand. Children who predominantly display passive body language are more open to victimization.

Aggressiveness is shown by shouting, using a sarcastic or accusing tone, having a tense upright posture where the person uses height to intimidate, staring unremittingly at the other person, having tight fists, pointing, folding arms or having hands on hips with legs more than slightly apart, standing too close to another person and invading their comfortable body space, and leaning forward in a threatening manner. Children who predominantly display aggressive body language can intimidate and find that other people are less likely to want to make friends and will probably try to avoid them.

Assertiveness is shown by speaking clearly and firmly with a well-modulated tone (not in a monotone), having a relaxed upright posture, having a gaze that meets the other person’s gaze while occasionally looking away, having hands relaxed by the sides and legs slightly apart, leaning forward to talk to another person to show interest in what is being said and standing a comfortable distance from the other person. Children who show assertive body language are more likely to command respect from other people, their opinions are more likely to be valued and they are less likely to be bullied or be suspected of being bullies.

Discuss the following questions with the class:

- Passive, aggressive and assertive are words to describe certain types of behaviour. What do you know about each type of behaviour? How might passive people appear? How might aggressive people appear? How might assertive people appear?

- If someone acts confidently, people will believe that they are confident whether or not this is the case. And when people change in the way they behave towards them because they believe they are confident, that will make that person feel more confident. On the whole, how would you like to be seen? Discuss the consequences of being seen as passive, aggressive and assertive.

Activity

Invite children to show what posture is best to adopt in the following situations:

- You are in trouble from a teacher and it is deserved. (A slightly timid posture is best to show meekness and regret. An aggressive, defiant posture is likely to get you into more trouble. A confident posture in this situation might be misinterpreted by the teacher as arrogance.)

- You are out shopping in a big town. (You need to look confident so that no one is tempted to pick on you or to try to talk you into doing something you don’t want to do.)

- Someone has unjustly accused you of doing something. (You need to look outraged and angry to show you have been wronged.)

Ask the children to practise reading body language by watching people carefully when they speak – and by watching actors in films and on the television. They should also try matching their body language with the message they want to give.

Racism is believing that one race is superior to other races; the belief is fed by prejudice and stereotyping. When children hear racist remarks at home they take them as fact and repeat what was said in the playground, sharing racism with their classmates. Racism is also perpetuated by listening to – and passing on – racist jokes. Being racist is being abusive, biased, a bully, ignorant, intolerant, narrow-minded, bigoted, blinkered and prejudiced. Racist people can also be dangerous as they can spread hatred and incite violence. ‘Inciting racial hatred’ is a criminal offence. Any racist behaviour, such as verbal abuse, harassment or physical violence, is also against the law.

To stop racism, children shouldn’t laugh at racist jokes or pass them on. If someone makes a negative comment about someone from another ethnic group they should ask what they based their comment on. If there’s no evidence to back up the comment, they should point it out or ask the person to take back what they said and apologize. Children need to look beyond external appearances and base their liking on personalities and commonalities. They should celebrate the rich culture brought to their area, enjoy the different music available to listen to and the range of foodstuffs available to eat. They could find out about other cultures by talking to people from those cultures and they could try to understand how other people’s lives differ from theirs. They should build bridges rather than break them.

It is important to stop racism since hatred against a particular race can escalate and through increasing violence someone could be badly injured or even killed – or victims might be so unhappy they commit suicide.

Discuss the following questions with the class:

- What is racism? How do people become racist?

- Think of words to describe racist people.

- Is racism legal?

- How do you think it feels to be picked on because of your race? (It could make you feel valueless, scared, lacking in confidence and self-esteem. You might find it hard to trust people, turn against your own religion or culture and have identity issues.)

- How might your life be affected? (Your schoolwork might suffer. You might play truant, pretend to be ill, refuse to go to school or leave your home at all through fear. You might be lonely.)

- How would you feel if you were the only person from your race in the area? (Very conspicuous, afraid, alone, with no friends. You might assume everyone from other races is hostile since you’ve had negative experiences before.)

- If the race you are from is not important, what is important about people? (How they behave towards you, how kind they are, the kind of person they are or become, whether they are doing their best with the resources and talents that they have, to what use they put those talents and how they live their life.)

- Why is it important to stop racism?

- What can you do to stop racism?

Finally, teaching them that love covers all races and that love has no racial boundaries. As parents and educators, we should also show them in action.