Have you ever started to try to detox your home, only to be met with resistance from your family?
I know how that feels!
And when I first started back in 2006 out of necessity when I was trying to help my son with his attention issues, I went a little too crazy with trying to replace everything and my family pretty much rebelled (and to be honest, so did I!).
So now that I’m more than 15 years into a pretty decently toxin-free home (I say that because it’s not about being perfect!), here are the 3 suggestions I give my clients:
Choose Your Top 2
If you’re unsure of where to start, or that maybe your family isn’t completely on-board, start out by just replacing your top 2 most-used, most-toxic products first (I recommend starting with foods & beverages). Swap out hot dogs, for example, with a safer brand and save them for special occasions. Or swap a toothpaste for a safer one. This also makes it easier to help your family see how easy it can be.
And if your family is completely resistant, start by slowly switching products without mentioning it.
This may sound terrible, but sometimes it’s the easiest way! There are so many amazing non-toxic/less-toxic products out there now, but sometimes it is difficult to make the switch. For instance, it can be hard to get used to non-toxic shampoo or toothpaste not foaming (the ingredient that causes things to foam – sodium lauryl sulfate – is highly irritating and can cause hair breakage in shampoo, and can cause canker sores when it’s used in toothpaste). So if your family is having a difficult time, just start with a couple of things at a time.
For more tips on choosing your Top 2 and staying slightly greener without the overwhelm, check out this post.
Don’t tell them “No more [insert favorite food here] ever again!”
This is when it’s easiest for anyone to rebel. If you tell your kids or spouse (or yourself!) no more whatever-their-favorite-food is, they’ll automatically resent this healthier lifestyle, and your child may have 60 cookies the next time they go to a friend’s house, rather than the few they typically would have if it wasn’t forbidden.
The good news is that when we start eating better and feeling better, it’s easy to keep it up. And when we’re feeling better, it’s easier to change your perspective from “I can’t have it” to “I don’t want it.
Talk with your children, not at them.
It’s easy to make the switch if they’re young, but if they’re a little older like my oldest was at the time, just casually mentioning why they might want to avoid something works better than nagging them or outright telling them no.
For example, when my son grabbed a yellow popsicle (a story for another time is what to do when your hubby buys items on your no-no list!) after dinner one night when he was in junior high, I explained to him that Yellow #5 is known to worsen asthma symptoms. He was a wrestler at the time, and I knew that was important to him. To my total surprise, he looked at the popsicle, and made the tough decision to throw it away.
If you don’t nag and you don’t say no or “never again”, you may be surprised at what happens – I sure was! It’s amazing to see the good choices our children can make when they understand where we’re coming from.
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