As seen in the Dayton Daily News on June 6, 2015.
When I was a child, a visit to the dentist meant picking out a prize from the treasure chest before leaving. If you were especially good, you got to pick two.
I sat very still so I could add two more animal figurines to the ones I received from previous visits.
Back home, I spent hours constructing barns out of shoe boxes, and used fabric scraps from my mother’s sewing basket to make homes and beds for them. My pretend play would then begin.
I treasured these animals and enjoyed playing with them over and over. I didn’t need boxes full of toys to entertain myself.
Fast-forward to today. I just read that the typical American child owns 250 toys by age 5.
No wonder parents are stressed and their homes are drowning in toys. These are too many toys for anyone to comfortably manage.
Are you picking up your child’s toys night after night instead of enjoying a favorite pastime hobby of your own?
Do your children have respect for their belongings or do they know they will be replaced in an instant should something happen to them?
Do you spend more time picking up toys than reading with your child?
If any of these questions makes you cringe just a bit, it’s time to pare down the toys to the number your children can take care of on their own. For very young children, keep only those toys you can quickly throw in a couple of baskets.
The next time you ask your child to clean up their toy area and they fuss about it, let them know you don’t like picking up toys any more than they do. Inform them that you no longer want the responsibility of keeping track of their toys, then help them get down to the number of toys they can manage on their own.
Chances are most people you know also have children that own too many toys, so don’t pass them off to friends and family. Donate the toys your children no longer love to a charitable organization instead.
Once you make picking up toys their responsibility, they will be less likely to want to keep as many. They’ll also be more creative with the ones they do own.
Take time now to reduce the amount of toys in your home. Your child will have more time for play, and you will gain more “me” time.