The backstory.
Cancer has shadowed my life for as long as I can remember. As a nervous, twitchy sort of girl, I started checking my moles for skin cancer by the time I was in second grade. Every ache had me convinced I had some horrible ailment. Later in elementary school, my Nana developed ovarian cancer. They caught it too late, and she eventually passed after a long, brutal battle.
As an adult, I’m the sort of person who clicks on alarming headlines and link-baity phrases. Ten ways to prevent cancer? Sure! Five things you need to do to prevent heart disease? Okay!
When I read articles that suggest super-foods that can prevent cancer and steps you can take to lower your risk, I’m torn between a feeling of helplessness and a feeling that I should act. But it’s so overwhelming. Take these supplements, eat these foods, stock up on these antioxidants. Walk every day, use a headset, eat fish—but not those fish.
It’s crazymaking.
But the thing is, a lot of little things can help. They’re not going to make you immune to cancer, but they will help you feel healthy. Simple things like exercising a little, like being at least somewhat conscious of the things you eat. At thirty, I already feel a little like a lost cause. I wear sunscreen now, and I work out sometimes, and I think about eating. But I have this (irresponsible) sense that the damage is done. So I grab my McDonald’s fries with a coke and cram them into my mouth while driving and talking on the phone at the same time.
What is she getting at?
When it comes to my kids, I know I still have the ability to shield them from some of the risks that will affect them later in life. I take it as seriously as I take car seat safety and pool safety. I can’t wrap them in a bubble from the world, but I can act responsibly as a parent.
I believe that the most irresponsible thing I can do is simply not give a damn. What can be more irresponsible than saying, “Everything causes cancer, so why should I care?”
I’m not going to give them spinach and pomegranate juice every day. I’m not going to follow the latest cancer-prevention fad. But I am going to do my part to be aware of chemicals and toxins that are proven to do harm.
It isn’t about being super mom. It isn’t about being crunchy. It isn’t about trying to be better than you because trust me, not a day goes by that I don’t sigh and trudge for a moment because I feel less than another mother, another woman.
This is a decision I’m making for my children.
And this is why I get angry, truly angry, when I see huge brands spreading lies. This is why I wonder how we’ve gotten to a place where we smell bleach and chemicals and we associate those fumes with the word clean. This is why I marvel at blind trust over phrases like “all natural” or the familiar logo of a big name consumer brand. This is why I wonder how it’s taken me my entire adult life to stop and think about the things I take for granted and the questions I’ve failed to ask.
My son has a severe peanut allergy. He has neurological blips that could be genetic or could be the result of exposure to chemicals in utero or as a baby. It could all be nothing, it could all be everything. These aspects of his being might simply be or might be part of a worldwide trend that will become clearer in the future.
I care. I care for him. I care for the children with childhood cancers, with autism, with allergies, with developmental delays, with skin problems, with birth defects.
I refuse to get lost in a finger-pointing game, or even in alarmist studies linking SOMETHING to SOMETHING.
Instead, I’m committing to small actions. And I’m absolutely honored to be working with Healthy Child Healthy World as a parent ambassador. I believe in their 5 Simple Steps to reducing the toxins and chemicals we expose our children (and ourselves) to.
I put a lot of time and thought into this relationship and what Healthy Child stands for. If you want to know what I’m going on about, I hope you visit HealthyChild.org to learn more.
They have a saying that I adore. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. The last thing we all need is extra pressure, right? Extra guilt, extra stomach aches, extra “what have I done to screw up my kids now?”
Healthy Child doesn’t exist to tell you what you did wrong—it exists to teach you what you can do to protect your family from unregulated chemicals and a system that cares far more about profit than the safety of your kids.
I hope you take a few minutes to read what they have to say. I’ve been yammering about toxins and chemicals ever since I began studying aromatherapy two years ago, and the stuff I learned at HealthyChild.org still surprised me. It gave me chills. It inspired me.
I can’t do everything, and certainly not all at once, but I’m trying. And when I read lies and see green-washing and witness all sorts of corporate shenanigans around disregarding the safety of our children, I will use my words and raise my voice.
Resources:
HealthyChild.org
A Wake-Up Story (video)
Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home
Healthy Child on Twitter
Healthy Child on Facebook
Healthy Home Parties (I had one on Thursday and it was actually super fun.)
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