Controlling Kid Clutter
Everything has a place: You may have to be flexible with this because their toy situations will change as they get older and with each holiday and birthday. But make sure you have containers to hold all their goodies and places to store them. It’ll be much easier to clean up if you do. So a trip to buy storage containers might be in order.
Make cleaning up before bedtime part of the routine: My son’s preschool taught them the song “Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up” and we found it extremely useful when we wanted to make clean up fun. Make up one of your own. Hopefully your child will enjoy tossing their stuffed animals in the right container if you help out.
Hide old toys before you throw them out: Out with the old, in with the new. They’re never going to play with that puzzle missing pieces, that broken doll and those old baby toys, so don’t keep the old stuff in with all the new toys. Although it’s tempting to haul old things immediately to a charity, but what do you do if they do ask about them? Try hiding them in the closet or garage in a bag for a few months to see if they remember them before you give them the boot. It’ll save you both some tears and aggravation.
And recycle! Give that tricycle to a smaller kid, and those clothes your child has outgrown to someone who needs them. Your house will be cleaner, the landfills will be emptier, and you’ll feel better.
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You'll be surprised at what your kids can willingly part with...
Submitted by Jennifer C on January 9, 2008 - 13:55.
I am a middle-aged mom...okay, I'm planning to live to be 100. But, that said, I grew up in a time when "because I SAID so!" was the final port in the maternal storm. When Mom said that, we listened. The next step, we knew, was acknowledging that ultimately, she really did control our tiny little universes. Fast forward 125 years to the present day. No one gets away with the BISS gambit. So, when it came time to weed out our five-year-old's toys (we actually should have started this process about 4 years ago but we've got the dread multiple problem of procrastination AND clutter-clutching), we went to him. Was there anything in his vast collection of trucks, trains, models, blocks, snappy bits and things that go crunch in the night that he might consider taking to the local toy bartering store for a replacement? Might he consider store credit? Might he be willing to donate some to a worthy young boy or girl who just didn't have the same indulgent parents and grandparents? After all was said and done, we had THREE gigantic hefty bags of toys to donate and a select group of barely-used toys to be bartered for different ones. Then he and his parental unit went to the charity of our choice and donated the bags, with him solemnly handing a bag over to the attendant. We were so proud of him and he did this without being coaxed, begged or bribed. We spent hours admiring his newly de-cluttered living space, commenting on his excellent organization skills. The entire operation went without a hitch and I was impressed by his maturity. I am amazed at what kids will do when they are incorporated into the process instead of given an edict. Now if I could just get beloved spouse to part with the championship trophy from the '82 softball championships...wonder if we could trade that in somewhere?
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