toys
I talked awhile back about some changes we are making in our lives. One of the things I started really thinking about was the kid’s toys. Compared to some, they may not have a ton of toys, but in my mind they have way. too. many. When I started to realize that they weren’t playing with the toys they had, I determined that I was, in fact, right. They have so many that their play room doesn’t stay clean and then they can’t find the pieces of what they want to play with. And they have so many that they don’t know what to play with.
Generally, I go through their play room about once a month and re-organize all the toys, putting all the blocks together, all the polly pockets together, all the little plastic bugs together, etc. So, after a big re-organization, I decided to transfer about 3/4 of the toys to the basement, all sealed up and properly divided. Now the playroom stays basically clean and they actually go in there and PLAY with what they have. In a month or so, I’ll swap some of they toys in the basement for what they have now. It will be like getting new toys!
But I think the biggest reason I’m thinking about all this has to do with their attitude. I’ve noticed that they are just as happy with one My Little Pony as they are 10. Honor is perfectly happy to have four matchbox cars as he is to have 50. I was thinking about an attitude of thankfulness. Do my kids need to expect to have one in every color, or should they be happy with one or two?
I think of the toys that I had when I was little. I remember being SO happy to get ONE barbie for my birthday or ONE cabbage patch doll for Christmas. And, maybe because I only had one cabbage patch when my friends had five, I want to buy things for my kids. I can afford to buy Eden a new polly pocket and Honor a new set of legos, so I do. But I’m starting to first think about if I should, not if I CAN. My end goal for my children is to have kids who are grateful for what they have and who don’t expect to get a toy every time we take a trip to the store. And I hope that attitude will transfer into adulthood and they will learn to save for what they want rather than whip out a credit card and get it RIGHT NOW. It’s a lesson that so many of us have learned the hard way and I hope that I can spare my children that one lesson by teaching them to be thankful for what they have now.
Category: Kids 11 comments »
January 14th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Amen, Sista!!
January 14th, 2007 at 11:42 am
How timely… after the haul from the holidays we decided that Georgie has way too many toys. We took out three 18 gallon tubs and put them away – he doesn’t even notice but we do. I know he’s only 2.5 but boy do we notice a difference in the way he plays now. I think he was over stimulated by the amount he had around him. Now he’ll play for a longer time with blocks or puzzles or books. Makes me feel better too.
January 14th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Absolutely!
I find that I am overwhelmed by “things” on occasion – I can only imagine that the kids feel the same way, but don’t know how to express it (particularly if they don’t remember life without all the stuff).
January 14th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
I love this idea!
January 14th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Oh, high-five to that. That’s on my to-do list, to go through all their toys, just like you have. I think when kids are inundated with toys they a) don’t appreciate them, b) don’t take care of them, and c) are too overwhelmed to play with them. As is the case with my kids right now.
It’s definitely quality over quantity, and I totally agree with you — the goal is for them to be grateful for what they have.
January 14th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
HOW FUNNY … i TOO HAVE BEEN PONDERING THE SAME THINGS.
January 14th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
You are a very smart Mom.
January 14th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Wise thoughts! It’s hard for me to resist buying my daughter a bunch of cool clothes and toys because I lacked them growing up and want to give her what I didn’t have… but it’s easier to resist than it would be if I could actually afford them;)
January 15th, 2007 at 9:22 am
TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!! thankfulness in this day and age are getting harder to teach… especially in adults!!! LOL
January 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am
It’s so true, and I think this carries into adult hood. For example, I have 30+ pairs of shoes, but I only wear a handful. And the thing is, this doesn’t stop me from buying MORE shoes, I wonder why. You’re very wise, and you’re children are soooo lucky to have such a considerate mother.
January 16th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Great advice. We don’t have room anymore for lots of toys, so we use the ‘put them away and trade them out’ technique often now. This year they got gameboys, so that really worked well from them. Kaden also got some Magnetix- those things are awesome and he plays with them more than anything else.