Now I Know Why I Had Very Few Toys Growing Up!

I used to think that the reason my siblings and I had very few toys when we were kids was because my parents, both blue-collar immigrants, had very little extra money for "frills" such as toys for their children. Granted, I'm sure that's part of the reason, but I think I now know the true reason we had so few.

If my parents even spent one day the way I have today, it would have convinced them lock, stock and barrel that kids' toys are the work of the devil. Oh, yes. They are so educational. Kids have fun with them. You can be assured at least a half hour of "quiet" time if there's a toy to be played with. What the glossy catalogue ads don't show you, however, is the reality of what their well-lit, planned out little "scene" looks like ten minutes after they actually allow the children to play with it. What you would see is a whirlwind much like that caused by the Tanzmanian Devil himself as the child whips him/herself into a wonderful frenzie playing with the toy and all it's three million pieces. When said child is done playing with the wonderfully educational toy with three million pieces, he/she will walk away and leave a disaster zone that rivals the destruction brought by a category four hurricane.

That's pretty much what my children do every time they step into their playroom. It's actually our downstairs family room where all their toys get shipped to after Christmas or birthdays. There's a t.v. with all their favorite dvds. There's a computer with internet hookup for them to play on kid friendly sites....and then there are various tubs, buckets, drawers, containers to try and organize their toys. And what do I find when I step foot downstairs? Yes, every single toy they own strewn about the room.

I just spent the better half of two hours reorganizing their toys. This time, however, we got rid of a lot toys that they either don't play with much anymore or that just have so many darn pieces I'm tired of stepping on them every time I pass through the room. We've filled three xerox boxes of toys and "stuff". I've picked up more broken crayons and dried out markers that I'm sure I'm the lone mother keeping Crayola in business. I recycled a bunch of coloring books and donated some well "loved" books.

I've decided that from now on, any toy that enters this house will have no more than five pieces total. More than five pieces, I don't want it here. I'm hoping that family will listen when I start requesting things like books or clothes for my children for Christmas and birthdays because the influx of toys in this house has made me stressed. This Christmas, I'll request that family give Maddy some "games" for her new V-tech "computer" we got her and maybe a play/action figure for the boys. A remote-control car might also be a good choice for the boys. Pretty much anything under five pieces. If not, my children may find their toys "disappear" some time in January when the frenzy of Christmas has passed.

Mom and Dad, you had it right all along!