We have five grandchildren. Each is unique and wonderful and a blessing to us. For our youngest, our home is one of the places he is growing up. Unlike his siblings or cousin, he cannot remember when we lived far away from where he and his parents lived. All the other grandchildren have had times when we lived more than a thousand miles away. For him, grandma and grandpa have always lived just down the road. We go to their house, and he visits our house multiple times weekly.

When our other grandchildren were little, their parents brought the specialized items for their care to our house. But with this youngest one, it has made sense for us to keep some things at our house for him to use when he visits. We keep a small supply of diapers and disposable wipes for him. There is a baby bottle in our cupboard that he used to use.

Babies change and grow. He no longer needs the bottle. We now have some soft plastic glasses from which he drinks when he comes to our house. When our kids were his age, we had plastic sippy cups that reduced spills when tipped. The lids to the cups were a transition as the child learned to manage a regular cup. Instead of that type of lid, our glasses feature reusable straws that fit tightly into lids to limit spills. We have a small brush that fits inside the straws for cleaning, and they can be sterilized in the dishwasher. However, it didn’t take long before the lids and the straws began to sit in the cupboard. He now drinks out of a glass like his siblings, though they are served in glass vessels while he still uses the unbreakable plastic. He occasionally spills his water, but so do the other children. The adults have been known to knock over a glass as well. We’re pretty quick with a towel when needed, and sometimes comment with a touch of surprise when we get through an entire family dinner without someone spilling something.

In our family, drinking from a glass without a straw marks maturity. I’ve commented on our grandson’s “big boy cup” and praised him for drinking from it without a straw. However, we have a small supply of longer reusable straws in a drawer for a special treat, like root beer floats.

Some people, however, get passionate about straws for drinking. The president has been signing stacks of executive orders directing the administration to follow specific policies. He has addressed immigration, directed the firing of federal employees, ordered congressionally-mandated programs to be defunded, and attempted to dismantle federal agencies. Amid the furor of orders that have prompted lawsuits and confusion, on February 10, the president signed an order titled “Ending Procurement and Forced Use of Paper Straws.” Surprisingly, paper straws rose to the top of the emergency orders issued in the first month of a new administration, but there it is.

I didn’t realize that anyone was being forced to use paper straws. I haven’t used one in a long time. I prefer to drink from a glass or cup without a straw. When they are offered in restaurants, I don’t use them. Here in our state, a law prohibits cafes and restaurants from automatically including single-use plastic utensils and straws in takeout orders. If you want a straw or plastic utensil, you need to ask for it. Most restaurants set up self-serve stations so customers can pick up the utensils and straws they want. The city of Seattle does ban plastic straws in restaurants, and I assume they offer paper straws since plastic ones aren’t an option.

Reasons to discourage the use of plastic straws include the environmental impact of overconsumption, the danger of discarded straws to birds, animals, and sea life, and the mess of litter. Similar reasons exist for paper straws, which, although biodegradable and easier to dispose of, still involve carbon emissions in their manufacture and harmful chemicals to bleach the paper. Single-use items significantly impact the natural world more than ones that can be cleaned and reused.

There is a case to be made for limiting the use of paper straws, but I don’t understand how the President of the United States sees this as a priority for his administration. I’m sure that anyone working in or visiting any federal building has the option not to use a straw at all. Those who need straws because of medical conditions can certainly carry reusable straws. It might be slightly less convenient than a single-use straw but not impossible. I’m having trouble imagining how someone could be “forced” to use a paper straw.

Although the order addresses the use of paper straws, it is intended to increase the use of plastic straws, which have fallen out of favor among many environmentally conscious people. The authors of the executive order thought that using terminology about the forced use of paper straws sounded more responsible than issuing an order requiring federal cafeterias and coffee shops to use plastic straws.

The order may be designed as a distraction. By getting news agencies and even bloggers like me to focus on the silliness of paper straws, attention can be diverted away from executive orders that cost thousands of jobs, drive up the price of consumer goods, divide families, deny birthright citizenship, override congressional actions, and many other dangerous and anti-democratic actions. If that is the case, it is working. Local and national news sources have devoted articles and columns to the order ending procurement and forced use of paper straws.

It is good that I don’t work in the part of the administration that generates executive orders. I might be tempted to draw up an order directing cooks to use metal colanders instead of plastic ones or one favoring bar shampoo over bottled. I would like to see public restrooms equipped with soap dispensers that work without the soap being so watered down that it is ineffective. I’d love to see a rule that required all presidents to have pets. Spending time with animals reduces stress, promotes clear thinking, and provides a distraction from too many orders to sign. How about an order directing the practical design of wipers for eyeglasses when worn in the rain? With a president who proudly signs anything in front of him, the possibilities seem endless.