Ohmystinkinheck

China.

That’s right, you heard it here. This cloth diapering, breastfeeding, natural parenting momma asked her kiddos what they wanted for Christmas this year and got just ONE answer from each of them. That’s it. Just one. And that one thing that each of the kids wanted more than anything in the whole wide world…it was from China.

Now, before your pretty little fingers keyboard me sentiments of the sweet and sour variety, know this…all the adult gifts Jeff and I will give and exchange are made right here in the USA - 100% organically grown, recycled or stitched by the hands of stay at home moms while they tandem breastfeed.

BUT in case you are concerned for the welfare of our children, we want you to know that Mr. OMSH and I plan on putting each and every toy to the lick test NOW so that if in 2 weeks we start seeing side effects we will know to warn the kids NOT to lick their toys.

We are caring parents that way.

Panties in a wad yet? Think it crude to make light of the “Anti-Made-in-China Movement” sweeping many of the parenting sites and blogs and red hot in the news?

I’m being sarcastic.
Slightly.

Here’s what I think. Yes, Chinese manufacturers absolutely should be more responsible with the toys they produce and ship out. And yes, I think that we “vote” with our money more than anything else. I do believe that when a need presents itself, and given the opportunity, we should try to buy locally and all that fine stuff.

HOWEVER (and there is always a however, right?) I’m not hearing anyone tap at the root.

The root of this particular production problem is not that we buy in China. The root is the amount of things we buy, period.

Whether you are purchasing goods from China, Mexico, Taiwan, the Dominican Republic or from that lady down the street (the one that crochets those li’l baby blue Barbie doll dress toilet paper covers), the first question you need to ask is not WHERE something is made.

The first question is…

DO I NEED THIS?
or
Is this a wise choice for my kids, husband, self, friend, or family?

My opinion? A substantially more powerful decision in our households would be to teach ourselves and our children the difference between want and need. Our overall impact on production would be more powerful if we’d just STOP CONSUMING LIKE STARVED MAD DOGS.

You say, “But I bought it local.” Okay - good choice, IF you needed it in the first place.

And yes, I realize that not everything is going to fall into the “needs” category, but what most Americans don’t “get” is that WANTS should be limited. I mean, if you’re gonna complain about buying things Made in China, then at least realize that the only reason our country has to BUY and PRODUCE so much from/in China is because our consumption is so high that companies need to make things faster and in bigger bulk. And they also know if they can make things cheaper, they can sell for less. And they sell them for less so that we will buy more. And when we buy more, another plant opens to produce yet even more.

Stop buying and you’ll cut products Made in China faster than any local buying movement. We are the beginning and end of that cycle.

But completely cut out spending in China. No, I won’t. There are things we have purchased from China that have served us well. Like this Christmas tree.

At the time, we could afford this tree. It was a wise choice, because this tree wouldn’t send our son into coughing and hacking fits. It was Made in China, and as such, was significantly less expensive by HUNDREDS of dollars than the locally produced synthetic trees. We’ll use this tree over and over and over. It continues to show itself as a wise purchase. It would have been UNWISE to have spent hundreds more for the same thing just because it was made in the states. There is more to the equation than WHERE something is made. We wanted to buy a tree Kenny wouldn’t be allergic, too, but we also wanted to pay our bills, feed our kids, etc… we would make this same choice again if the need was there.

We live in a small home by the standards of most of our friends and family. Our children have small rooms and therefore, do not have room to fill it with an abundance of toys and “things” - there simply is no room for it and we don’t allow for it. We DO make purchases, of course, but we limit them. We’re learning each day more and more how to live balanced.

It is BALANCE our country needs.
Not extreme measures - we need BALANCE.

And margaritas, those are important too.
But that’s another post.
Thank you MEXICO.

35 Responses to “I’m dreaming of a Christmas made in…”

1. chocolatechic

   Amen!

2. Jeana

   Excellent, excellent post.

3. Shannon

   Sing it sister! I feel like I am in one for those churches where they get up and dance in the middle of the sreman and shout and wave their hands.

4. SmockLady

   Need/want - teaching the children this difference is very hard sometimes. My response would be a post of its own so I want say much more except this.

   I read an article the other day about the China/lead/us thing and I was not too surprised. Basically, China has no regulations about lead (you know, because they don’t car about their people) so they make things according to the regulations given to them by the US toy manufacturers. Like I said, I could say more but I’ll it for googling.

   On another note, the tree. I have severe asthma. My asthma is related to my allergies and usually if I keep my allergies in control I don’t have severe attacks. Again, I said usually. On a few occasions we broke down and used a real tree only to send me to the ER for treatment, so not anymore. Another thing I found out the hard way, is that even with fake trees I can have an attack. They can also develop mold, mildew, and be the host of mega dust from storage. So each year we put it together, and use the yard blower to give it a good windy breeze to release all this stuff. When we started doing that I had fewer attacks.

   OK so that was still long. Sorry. but if you only knew how much I cut out. ;)

5. SmockLady

   BTW, off topinc but do you have an rss for your comments that I can’t find? Because when I bebop over here from my reader to comment I usually am interested in what others say as well as when I comment I like to see responses to other things as well as mine. I have the same plugin that you do, but my inbox get too full with other e-mial that I’d just rather see a comment in my reader.

6. witchypoo

   I hate to move. I love feng shui. I am so behind the keep it if you love it, lose it if you don’t, train of thought. This makes sense on so many levels.

7. Kristi from NY

   You hit it right on the nail, OMSH. A lesson I learned from my parents as a child. My husband, not so much from his. Finding a balance with our children is hard, but I keep pressing for it because I know it’s the best thing for them in the long run. Thanks for addressing it!

8. Rhi

   Okay, but, if you lick the tree? You might get a splinter. That’s all :)

9. Just Beachy

   You hit it right on the head again OMSH! Our children only get about two gifts (the bigger thing through the year that they consistently said they wanted), plus a stocking.. We take all that money and go on a Christmas trip where we can create memories that will last a lot longer than that thing they really really thought that needed/wanted.

10. coolbeans

    I saw this over the weekend. I like what she says about the $4.99 radio.

    http://www.storyofstuff.com/

11. Rhea

    Yes, balance and buying less will go a long way toward keeping yourself and the people in your lives safe.

12. She Likes Purple

    Great, great post. Something to think about, absolutely. And I like to think over everything with margaritas.

13. Steph

    Yet again, I’ve come away with food for thought. This Christmas has been a struggle for me on many levels. (I won’t bore you with the details.) Reading this post and all the comments sort of put it all back into perspective.

14. Claire in CA

    We’re scaling back, too. Way scaling back. One gift for each kid, and one of them was free (the gift, not the kid). No gifts for husband and I, and very, very frugal ones for everyone else.

    Re: China. You can also boycott the Rose Parade and the Olympics, neither of which should have a darn thing to do with China, but unfortunately, they do. I live a mere 10 miles from the parade route, and won’t even watch it on tv. The atrocities that continue in China should be broadcast for the world to see, not the sanitized version.

    People are arrested every day in Tiananmen Square, and you can’t take pictures of the guards there while they harass people, or they will arrest you and take your camera. My parents just returned from there, and witnessed people being harassed. Their *Chinese* guide said that is commonplace.

    Sorry, off my soapbox.

15. DaisyCake

    so WHAT is the thing your children want from China? I’m curious!

16. Kater

    I read a saying in a book once that an old Italian lady lived by, and it’s stuck with me ever since. It’s this:

    “The less we have, the more important it all becomes.”

    I think if we’re giving our kids everything they want, they grow up expecting it and thinking they deserve it. Then when they go out in the real world and discover the universe doesn’t work that way, they have a hard time adjusting to the cruel reality.

    Anyway, I agree with you OMSH. You’re my kinda gal. Happy Holidays!

17. Robin~

    you will love this site
    http://www.storyofstuff.com/
    I’ve been of this mindset for most of my life, but this little movie really breaks it down so perfectly. I wish they’d show it in schools.

18. kerflop

    I am with you on the need/want thing, not so much on the buying from China thing. I’m a little surprised you’ve managed to spin it like this (end result being buy from China) My train of thought goes like this:

    Do I (or my kids) need or want this? If it’s a need, then I’m going to reduce the waste end by making sure it’s a quality item. If that means saving my pennies to be able to afford a quality wooden toy over a plastic one, that’s what I do.

19. Emily R

    I’m trying to teach my husband the Limit Buying Wants lesson, too :) And I agree with you completely on the China/consumerism issue.

20. Lanna

    Okay, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what could be in that big box that was so awesome. Goofy me. So now I want to see the tree all dressed up in lights and ornaments! :)

21. Angella

    You always make me think. Always.

    We do fake trees…because they make less waste, and are less of a fire hazard. I don’t need another house fire.

    I love the way you put your spin on current issues. And love YOU!

22. Lib

    Just be careful what you decide to lick, that is all I am saying.

    Wanted to let you know, also, you have been tagged my dear.

23. bethany actually

    Ouch. I am too often guilty of this. I have gotten better over the years, especially after the 900sqft house (no garage, no attic, no basement, cupboards instead of closets) we lived in when Annalie was born. You had better believe I asked myself, “Do I NEED this? Do I have room for it?” with every single thing I picked up in a store when we lived there.

    Thanks for making us think!

24. Ang in TX

    OMSH, I stay confused on this matter. Not just children’s toys but everything made in China. How many of us stop to read the label? I use to avoid buying anything made in China. Nowadays it is impossible.

    One year I attended at our church a retreat where the priest asked us to think about what we could do to make a difference in two weeks? I chose not to purchase any item that did not have to do with my basic needs- food, shelter,etc. I couldn’t believe how simple life became. This practice became a habit.

    Great post as always!
    ang.

25. Keri aka KinnicChick

    amen amen AMEN!

    You are wise, OMSH…

26. Mr. OMSH

    From a political socioeconomic perspective, buying anything from China is a bad move. I recently learned that China’s “middle class” is slightly larger than the total population of the U.S. (about 300 million). I wonder from where this wealth is being transferred/obtained. I was also once told that if the Chinese pulled their cash from our stock market, it would crash…that they own vast amounts of stock and various other investments in our country. Which means they are further adding to their profits, the interest gained in their investments. Add the military position they are in, with the financial situation, and we’re screwed…potentially.

    This is why world, I have decided to BUY. CANADIAN. Just kidding…I don’t even know what Canada produces besides hockey pucks, sticks, players, and ice.

27. Mr. OMSH

    Yea OMSH, where are the pics of the tree all dudded up?

28. bethany actually

    Beer, maple syrup, awesome wool blankets, excellent comedic actors…what DOESN’T Canada produce, Mr. OMSH?

29. Riana

    OMSH very well said; stop shopping people, put down the credit card and step away from the Disney cash register!

30. Heather

    Well said. You have given us all a new way to think about our purchasing decisions.

31. Mom2Six

    You mean it’s time to start thinking about Christmas already???? What with moving and switching to homeschooling and learning about snow (what’s that???) and a new neighborhood, I haven’t started shopping yet…. I’m usually done by Thanksgiving, so you just put me into panic mode! Thanks!

32. Mr. OMSH

    BETHANY ACTUALLY: Take off, eh.

33. bethany actually

    Mr. OMSH - I am not actually a Canadian, I just play one on the internet. ;-)

34. Angella

    Oh! I. Am. Canadian.

    And “Take off, eh”

    Made me HOWL.

    :)

35. Laura

    OMSH, you hit the nail in the head. GENIUS. I agree. The answer is not to simply BAN toys and products from china. we should take a step back realize that wow, we sure do spend a lot. and buy a lot. it does not matter if its made here or there, do we need it?? that is exactly what my mom said to me about the whole china crisis. thank you for bringing a much needed perspective to the whole consumer goods problem!