Sentimental? Foolish?

Great advice, thanks.

Maybe I have to work on this minimal thing.

Sahail

My kids are 6 and 3 and we are experiencing the exact same predicament, We have thought this over and have decided that we will try the following,

Discuss with the eldest about how toys should really just be for birthdays, xmas or maybe celebrating a major achievement, and that we can put aside sometime on the weekend with the child to sort through the current collection and discuss if they either would like to donate to a childrens charity if still in good condition and if its a cheap impulse buy, discuss with the child about how important the item is to him.

For the youngest, this is a bit more difficult, this is where some tough love comes into it. We have actually decided to sort through his stuff ourselves over short periods of time while he is at pre school. Nothing too dramatic, just a few toys here and there over time and select the toys that we know he does not play with anymore, that are broken, battered, or those ridiculous impulse buys that do nothing to enrich his life. These toys will be all placed in the one box, and if he shows no signs of distress that most of the useless stuff has gone from the room. Then feel free to donate or discard

If our eldest offers to much protest, we will consider same tactic with youngest, and again holding on to the box of sorted toys until completely satisfied the child is not in any distress about it

The above is what we are going to try, a bit tough, but if you can be sensitive and discrete about it, there is less stress for the future as toys just seem to keep snowballing. I also think that the lesson here is more for the parents like us that give in to these impulse buys, usually they are to keep the peace, however these short term fixes turn into these types of problems.

Cheers
Greg

We have hundreds of toys, and so many are small, impulse buys.

We have a playroom that looks like The Gremlins have taken over.

I’d ask the boys what to do but they are 5 and 3 years old.

I think it stresses children out actually.

Take care,

Sahail

Also, it was a fun reminder of some “Aussie” terms I had forgotten about, such as “Pram and fly screen”.

I see your doing well with the challenge as well. I am finding it quite enjoyable and liberating.

Cheers
Greg