No, Mommy -- Recycles!

I got home after work with my three kids today. The kids and I usually have some down time and I usually grab a diet coke and the kids each get a snack. My youngest son, who is two years old, was going thru our snack drawer. He loves breakfast bars. Even so, he passed up a chocolate chip breakfast bar and had his eye on the box of breakfast bars with berries (they are nice and sweet and he just loves them). He looks up at me and says, “Mommy, I want”, and he hands me the partially opened box. I open the rest of the box and it was empty. I told my little boy that the breakfast bars were all gone and to put the box in the trash. He looks up at me with his beautiful blue eyes and says “No, Mommy -- Recycles!”

You see, just over a year ago, my husband and I brought our son home from Russia. He was 21 months old and spoke no English living his entire life in an orphanage. Looking back on this last year, it is just amazing how much he has learned -- not only his language skills, but understanding what is going on in a typical family. Just knowing the difference between trash and recycles is pretty incredible for a two year old. I think about the difference between heredity and environment in a child’s life -- both are so important. However, I am learning more and more everyday that environment has a tremendous influence on a child. And, as his Mom, I'm so glad it does!

Robin Bartko