Smells Like Soccer

Up until this fall I have could been labeled a dance and violin mummy. Both activities take place in a nice, climate-controlled space. Comfortable in any weather. Safe for little ones too.

Now I can add soccer and football mummy to my resume.

I'm not thrilled about it.

I woun't mention the rain, bugs, blazing sun and freezing wind. It is that smell that has be running scared. You know that smell. The smell of freshly applied pesticides.

Thousands of kids and parents sit walk, run and roll around in the pesticide laden grass every weekend. Thousands of my neighbors exposing themselves to toxic cocktails all in the name of good, clean fun.

Recently Connecticut enacted a law banning dangerous pesticides on elementary school fields. Great for the few kids who only play at the elementary schools. What about my kids and the countless others who practice at the high school and the town field? Doesn't their health count? What about the water supply, wild creatures and families who live near the upper-level schools?

In a few hours I will be off to sit and cheer in the middle of a sea of chemicals. I will try to keep reminding myself that I am doing it for Little Guy. Still, I can't help but wonder if I am doing more harm than good.

Green Religion

Early on Saturday morning Hubby and I were knee-deep in Little Guy's mess of a room when the doorbell rang. Much to my surprise it wasn't a tiny neighbor. It was a pair of professionally-dressed women.


I opened the door to these unknown women only to be complimented on my "pesticide free" sign. Did their Prius break down and they were buttering me up in order to use my phone?

"Those who ruin the earth will in turn be ruined" was uttered as a supposed compliment. A bible passage that pertains to the green movement. Who knew?


Like every profession, door-to-door religious promoters may have had to change with the times. Have they jumped on the green bandwagon too? Are they tailoring their speech to suit who they perceive I am? Or maybe they have been green since the beginning (of time). Beats me.