Seriously, some days I feel like our house is drowning in
toys. I have been pretty good about teaching the kids to pick up after
themselves. They know that before bedtime toys need to be cleaned up and
bedrooms need to be tidy. Some days this is even accomplished without my having to
nag about it. However, I still end up having to do some of the work
and this has led me to the realization that there is just too much stuff! Why
do we have all these toys? Half the time the kids get them out for about five
seconds then they move on to the next thing. It has all just accumulated over
the years to the point that I feel our house is overrun with it all. Now, I
know there are a lot of folks out there that will not agree with me. I know lots
of families that have entire playrooms full of toys, and that’s nice and all; but, what if I don’t want to use up an entire room just for toys? What if I
actually don’t really want more square footage in my house just so I can
accommodate a habit of accumulation?
I think back to when I grew up and of course I had toys, but
nowhere near the amount that my kids have. I had a few dolls and stuffed
animals, there was a shoe box full of Barbies (which I really only played with
when other girls came over to play), and a shoe box with my tea set…. and
that’s about it. My brothers had
their own toys as well, but it was the same as myself- limited. And you know
what? I don’t ever remember being bored with nothing to do. Lately I’ve been on
an organizing spree (okay, I am pretty much always on an organizing spree), and
I thought about getting some toy cubbies, you know the kind you find at Ikea
and such, because there just isn’t enough storage space for all the toys to
stay organized. Then it hit me. Maybe the answer isn’t more storage, maybe the
answer is getting rid of some of the crap that they don’t need to begin with!
This whole de-clutter and de-junk method is a bit of a
debate between my husband and I. He doesn’t like to get rid of anything. I
think if he was not married to me he would be in serious danger of being a
borderline hoarder. I would like to get rid of some of the toys that my son
once played with but haven’t seen use in years, but my husband argues that our
daughter might want to play with them as she gets older. Here’s the thing, if
they aren’t there to be played with she won’t know the difference, will she?
I’m noticing that the mentality of more is better is total
BS. Honestly, more is just more exhausting. Having more things seems to often
mean less time to actually enjoy them. I don’t want my kids growing up thinking
that having lots of “things” somehow makes life better or more enjoyable. The
scary thing is that I already see this happening with my son and he’s only six.
It’s no longer the case that getting new toys is a treat, it’s almost like it
has become an expectation. Kids learn by example. They may ignore everything
you say, but you can count on them watching everything you do. So, as I’m on
this journey to simplify my own life, I am hoping I will show my kids how to do
the same. Step number one: this weekend the kiddo and I are going to do some
serious sorting and purging. I don’t believe in getting rid of the toys behind
his back, I think it is important that he be a part of the process. He decides
what stays and what goes, but I can help him figure it out.
You're a great writer Viki! Love your posts!
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