The toy problem

Home, Family & Health
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Years ago, I really did my best to clear out the meaningless toys. I tried to be mindful of toys the kids might someday be sad that I threw away. But then all the purging felt like something out of the show Hoarders and I really just starting throwing more and more away and it felt great

I gave a bunch to the neighbor who was having a garage sale, and a lot of it was not what I would consider quality and many were missing parts or half broken. So it’s not something I would have donated. I cried over a couple of them as I tossed them because it’s hard to believe how fast time goes. But I wasn’t attached to anything at all and the kids really had no interest in deciding if something should be kept or tossed.

We still had a few totes of toys left. But it was at about 1/3 of what there was before. It was freeing.

But there is a part of me that wants to get rid of them ALL and reclaim that space!. Matt is turning 9. He’s in 4th grade. He will play with Legos, Nerf Guns, the occasional army guy. But he’s never been a big toy kid. And everyone else doesn’t even seem to care about toys in the least, but maybe it’s because the toys are still right there. I won’t throw away board games.

When do you let go of almost all the toys?

My mom did it when I was 13. She had a huge garage sale and threw some toys away. I mentioned it to my grandmother and she actually drove over and fished my dolls out of the trash and rescued them. LOL But there wasn’t any point where I missed much of anything as an adult. My brother on the other hand, was REALLY ticked off over his Star Wars action figures, etc. Which I understand.

And when do you take down swing-sets???

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I purged the basement of toys this summer. I sold a ton on FB garage sale boards and completely reclaimed the basement. I kept Legos, Hess trucks, and Lightning McQueen and friends, because those are the only ones my kids play with. Everything else we have accumulated over 15 years went bye-bye. I can’t tell you how liberating it was.

As for a swing set, we don’t have one because our backyard isn’t level. But if we did, I guarantee I’d keep it forever.

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I did feel like it was time. But wasn’t sure if I was just pushing for more room around here. I sort of feel like they aren’t mine to give when they aren’t old enough to really know if they might miss any. Asking Matt at age 9, if he wants something he doesn’t seem to care about now, could be totally different as he walks down memory lane in his teens. For example, Zach loves retro stuff. He uses our old iPod that was stashed away for years and plays retro arcade games on his Raspberry Pi.

Shamefully I have Halloween costumes and dance recital costumes stored here, too. WHY?

The problem with our swing-set is that it’s wooden. And it needs sanding, staining. ugh.