The toys are gone. I repeat: the TOYS are GONE.
Last week we bagged up ALL of our kids toys!
*GASP*
Whhhhat?! Say it isn't so! That's minimalism taken too far! Didn't they fight and protest? How could you damage their poor little developing minds like that?!
Wellp... It IS so. I think we haven't taken it far enough. They did not protest, they actually seem HAPPIER and BETTER behaved now. And I think this has freed and strengthened their minds.
Let's discuss...
I've seen many posts on Pinterest about those crazy moms that took away all of their kids toys and then blogged some nonsense about all the blissfully positive things that happened after doing so.
I, in my ever evolving quest of minimalism, would get super inspired and tell my hubby.... who would immediately think I was even loonier than regular and declare that there's no way we're doing that and ruining their lives because minimizing is one thing but taking all their toys/fun away from them is insanity.
*pfffh* So, I instead bought them cute little baskets and we minimized down to about 10 toys each, they all fit in the sweet little basket with a ribbon for each kid, and it would give them the fun they need but be super easy to keep clean and orderly.
HA! I don't know if your kids have this super power, but mine do. Maybe they're special. Even with a VERY limited quantity of toys (especially for American children) their rooms - the girls especially - would be DISASTERS every single day! What on earth?!? You have TEN toys. 10. That's it! Getting them to pick them up and place them in their basket was always on uphill battle... one that made me even more irritated considering I felt I had made it SO easy for them! (Clearly is was a problem of AIM? They're dropping them on the floor... they just need to drop them IN the basket?)
We noticed our evenings were becoming anything but peaceful. And it sucked. And the hubby couldn't take it anymore.
Why are our evenings so stressful and negative?
Well, the kids can never seem to brush their teeth. Fine- I'll stand in there and count to 100 for them to be sure those pearly whites can become white again. *eww*
They can never find pj's because their super simplified dressers are a wreck. Fine - I made them pick 3 outfits. Yep, THREE! Everything else went up in my closet. We do laundry one load per day anyway, three is plenty. Pj's can now easily be found because there's not enough to have to search for. Solved.
The biggy -- having to pick up their rooms before bedtime (because it never seems to happen when I'm cooking dinner and send them in there to pick up) was a recipe for disaster. Kids would become headstrong against us, they would speak unkindly to one another, we would become angrier and short in our instruction. It was a mess. But leaving the mess was not the answer- mess and clutter is not the environment I want to create.
So then the hubby said it. "Bag up all of their toys." 😲😲😲
Oh no, are you serious? I've wanted to do this a million times! ALL the toys? YEP. All the toys. (Clarifying point: the girls have a lavender filled stuffed animal we heat up at night, they kept that and their night time baby doll/stuffed animal... but that's IT)
What happened then?!?
Well, Lily (the middle kiddo) started to freak a little bit... to promise she'd keep her room clean and not argue... nope. Heard that song kid-- not happening. This lasted maybe 1 or 2 minutes... then they were done and helped me bag everything up and sweep their room.
We left their playhouses with just the foam couch in it, and they have their outside items (hula hoops, bikes, some balls, chalk...) and everything else was bagged and taken to the basement.
First day of no toys, was it horrible?
I'm not kidding when I say... it was darn near blissful. Seriously! I couldn't believe it! The kid's actually made comments all on their own about how nice it was to not have to worry about keeping up with all the STUFF. They used their imagination, they made up goofy games, they didn't bicker-- not once! I couldn't believe it-- really! Bedtime was BEAUTIFUL! We brushed teeth, got jammies, snuggled, not one raised voice or unkind action. Yes, this is something to note.
Day two-- same story! The house stayed clutter free, they played board games, made mud creations outside, took nature walks around our 8 acres, watched the clouds, found rollie pollies, read books together and drew pictures. I heard slightly unkind attitudes ONCE -- when they got their little bit of video game time that the oldest earned from acing his spelling test. Not kidding-- that was it.
Moral of the story?
Find where the problem truly lives-- and don't be afraid to cut it out. Bickering, fighting? Get rid of the source. Toys aren't the source of our children's happiness. Love, laughter, learning... those bring true happiness. Fun is all around us-- and it doesn't cost a thing. Get out there with them sometimes too-- read together, play hide-n-seek, go on walks, lay in the sun and watch the clouds, listen to the birds. Isn't that so much nicer than pouring our money into the crappy plastic toys that come from a Chinese factory and end up broken way too soon?
I'm not saying to go disobey your husband if you've tried to throw away all the toys and he's said you're insane and need to step away from Pinterest... in that case... maybe just pray that he quickly thinks of bagging up the toys "all on his own"... 😉😆😆😆 But, if this is somewhere you've been struggling and don't know what to do-- I strongly recommend it!
