How many of you parents let your kids play with pots and pans when they were little? You probably can still hear the racket your little ones created while banging a cooking spoon against a lid, creating their own percussion section. You could see the joy in their tiny faces. They couldn’t be any happier.
With this “symphony” in session, you couldn’t help but think of all the toys you and your relatives spent hundreds of dollars on sitting idly in their rooms. Sure, they played with those toys when they first got them. Not so much lately. It made you wonder what and why you were spending your money on when their imaginations provided far more entertainment.
In spite of so many parents having this experience, we continued, as did our families to buy toy upon toy for our children until their rooms overflowed. The residual effect of this has led to clutter, obviously, and landfills stacked to the brim with, among other things, toys.
This came to mind recently when reading a guest blogger on BecomingMinimalist.com. The title of the article, Please Stop Buying Plastic Crap for Kids, for so many reasons.
What’s even more damaging than the unnecessary clutter most homes have is the habits this “love my new toy” attitude perpetuates.
Think about it. How many times have you made a purchase based on impulse because something new sounded like fun—whether you needed the item or could even use it on a regular basis or not? If this is something you do, you can see the aftereffects in your closets, storage space, bank accounts and credit card bills.
What really touched me about the article was how the author mentioned her child’s reaction before she started buying presents as part of the return trip home. Her child was just happy to see her, not what she got her. Simple, right? Yet somehow, we think we’re not enough, that a present is in order. That’s sad but not irreversible.
Start giving the gift of you and your time. A walk in the park. Playing soccer in the backyard. Binge-listening books on Audible. You and your loved one can get more enjoyment out of things you do together than a toy that will be sitting in the room or, later, in the recycle bin.
Next time you have the urge to buy a present for somebody, try this out. You may be surprised by the new tradition you have started.
