The 'new' trike

I'm back in the office for a rest. The last weekend saw my daughter celebrating her second birthday and our home is beginning to return to normal after an invasion of grandparents, uncles, aunties and other toddlers. It's far to say that I am cream-crackered.

A highlight for me, amidst the jelly, pinapple-and-cheese on sticks and birthday cake, was nipping down to the park so Chloe could try out her new trike.

I must admit the trike had been a bit of a quandary for me. We bought it from a friend and for a while I struggled with the idea of giving Chloe a second-hand toy as her main present. OK, there wasn't anything wrong with it and after a wee bit of scrubbing it came us as good as new but I felt a little guilty. Surely as a loving father I should be providing my little one with shiny, brand new gifts.

Of course, I shouldn't have worried. Chloe didn't care that another little bottom had sat in the trike's seat before. All she cared about was bombing around the park hitting as many muddle puddles as she could. So we had made her day while also being a little more environmentally friendly but reusing something someone else had finished with. Plus, there wasn't any packaging to get rid of! Result!

The entire thing made me rethink my own outlook to consumerism once again. As I admitted on our latest podcast my eco-sin is being a bit of a shopperholic at times, but once again the sound of Chloe whooping as I pushed her across the grass reminded me that we don't always have to buy new to feel good.