As we end winter, many of us want to air out the house and get into a new spring vibe. It’s a good idea to do that with your kids’ toys, too. But there are two opposing camps on how to do this.
One group says to take toys your child hasn’t played with in a while and, while your child is out of the house, take them to a thrift shop or some such place. That way, you avoid the freak out that can happen when a child sees you taking away the toy.
The other group says to include your child, essentially asking them their “permission” to give the toys away. This way, the child can learn about doing something nice for others, as well as to begin to understand that not everyone may be a blessed with excess toys.
Both ideas have their pros and cons, but in my house, we decided to do the latter idea. It is our goal to raise a child that can not only function and thrive in the world, but who also has compassion for others whose lives may have taken a different path. It is not easy to convince my son to part with things (even things he hasn’t played with in a few years) but we have found that introducing him to concepts like “charity” and “compassion” has made the work a little easier. We have had to bring up the idea that he’s too old for certain things, but all in all he has been willing to share.
Consider taking the second path when getting rid of toys. It is character building, is a way to illustrate kindness, and can go a long way to make a child understand the concept of “doing the right thing.”
March 02, 2008
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