Shop Small This Fall
Find this at Merci Milo!
As we start the fall, the urge to acquire all the things you suddenly feel you need for school is almost overwhelming.
As is the urge to purchase the most economical choices, or quantity over quality.
But I want to remind you that your child has different developmental needs than those fostered by this type of economy.
Purchasing items in bulk, online, or tossing them into your cart during a quick big box store visit does not really allow your child to value these items, to build a relationship with these components of their life. These items become completely disconnected from the human experience. Who made them? How did they get here? Why did you choose them? All of this gets lost in translation, in the prioritization of efficiency and economy.
What if, instead, you made the choice to shop small and locally, as possible, and chose online resources with more intention?
I recently visited two very special resources in my community, an independent local pet store, and an independent local market.
These visits were such a lovely aspects of my day - and I thought about what these experiences would mean to a young child.
Because I did not just leave with pet food and dinner ingredients.
I took the time to have thoughtful conversations and heard interesting stories. I learned about the products I was purchasing and the lives of the people who helped curate or create or grow them. I had sensory delight from all the fascinating items in my experience, from chew toys to cherries, water bowls to watermelon. I supported local businesses that I absolutely want to be a part of my community. I was enriched by these exchanges.
These interactions are exactly the ones that young children should be having for their development, in whatever ways are possible for you in your community. The building of relationship, of a sense of connection with community, language development, the sharing of stories, sensory experience, awareness of how we use our resources, and why.
Needless to say, your local farmers’ market is one of the best ways to seek these types of experience. This is why I encourage the parents I support to visit their local market as often as possible with their children.
When you can’t shop locally, or when you want to support a small business from a distance, you can do so with intention to make this meaningful for your child, too.
I recently shopped online with one of my favorite small retailers based on the West Coast. When I share the gifts I purchased with the children in my life, I am going to tell them a story - about how and why I chose these items, where the shop is located, and how it came to be delivered here.
It may cost more. It may take longer. But wouldn’t that be worth it, at least some of the time?
I hope you’ll shop small this fall - and appreciate why it matters to your child.