Life is fleeting and changeable. At a certain stage, we decide to try something new. Or abandon the old. For example, vegans - strict vegetarians, refuse not only meat, but also leather and fur items, cosmetics tested on animals. And the slogan “Less is more”, popular among minimalists, is gaining more and more supporters. Well, if the home with you at the same time. And if not? Do you convert family members to your “new faith”? And how to attract them to your side?
Photo: Gettyimages
You are a minimalist. The rest too?
"Minimalism" - popular in recent yearsthe desire of people to be content with a minimal set of things and objects in everyday life. This is the philosophy of a conscious rejection of excesses, of unconscious consumption, imposed on us by cunning marketers. On social networks, dozens of bloggers talk about “decluttering” their belongings, agitating to take part in “year without shopping” marathons and end “toxic” relationships. Having looked at such motivating relay races, I want to start living in a new way. For example, throwing away 101 of her husband's old T-shirts, refusing to buy another Chinese toy for his child, or stop communicating with his mother-in-law. But there is one "but". As a result of such "hostilities" you risk being left completely alone. If you don't understand that the decision to live by certain rules concerns only you, psychologists associate this moment with the awareness of boundaries. Your own and other people. The decision to throw away or give away items that you no longer use is your right. If these are your personal belongings. And only you used them. For example, clothes. No one can forbid you to throw away your old jeans or sell a fox hat. But in the same way, you have no right to encroach on the personal belongings of your husband or children without their consent. “Seven pairs of jeans and shirts on vacation is the norm for my husband. Yes, I wash and iron them. But he wears. And the jeans and the suitcase they are in. And I stopped arguing about this on the eve of each trip. I realized that “minimalism” is also about giving up “unnecessary” conflicts, ”Victoria shares her story. It is more difficult with common things. Here you need to negotiate. And if the parties are in opposite positions, then it is better to leave everything as it is. At least for a while. A devotee of minimalism, a psychotherapist, and part-time father of two, Alexander Nekrasov is convinced that minimalism and children are quite compatible. “We try to show the child our life principles by our own example,” Nekrasov voices his opinion. - As far as clothes are concerned, the minimalist approach does not even have to be introduced into her life - she uses it herself, according to her own desires. My daughter loves to participate in decluttering. She, as a rule, can clearly say what she wants to leave and what she will use, and what she is not interested in and does not need at all. "
Photo: Gettyimages
Vegetarianism. To eat or not to eat?
The kitchen is also a common place. Therefore, if you decide to become a strict vegetarian, and for you this is not a diet, but a philosophy, the main principle of which is “do not kill,” - try to explain this to your relatives. And do not forget that eating meat is their right. “Fortunately, there was no disagreement about vegetarianism in our family. My husband first went to the refusal of meat. And after him and me. But 2-3 times a week we eat fish. By the way, our 7-year-old daughter also does not eat meat. Not because we do not give, but because he does not love. From early childhood, "Olga shares her story." It is most difficult to take a child to visit. When food is offered, our 6-year-old Dima, as a rule, replies: “Thank you, I am not hungry.” But once someone learns that the child is a vegetarian, reproachful looks and misunderstandings immediately begin: “How is that! The child needs meat, ”and other“ truths ”far from science,” Tamara says. By the way, modern pediatricians believe that children may well be vegetarians. But here parents should be aware of: deficiency of vitamin B-12, iron and some others should be replenished. A child should be regularly shown to a doctor who, if necessary, prescribes “Re-educate” adults' multivitamin complexes - a thankless task. But we can raise children in the spirit of their convictions. Only this requires persistence of spirit and patience. Here we come to the main thing: vegetarianism and minimalism - this is not only about the observance of certain rules in the kitchen or at home. This is a way of life, worldview, philosophy. And it is important to give the children the basics of this worldview. Teaching a child a life philosophy, love of neighbor and the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” is much more important than the observance of diet and order. In the first place - the harmony in the family, on the second - order in the kitchen or in the wardrobe. Teach children to take care of themselves, organize their leisure. Not to spend weekends in restaurants and shopping centers, but to visit museums, the whole family to skate in the park or start the morning in the salt water pool is a great healthy alternative. Show the children that there is always a choice in life. And the choice is theirs.
