Where Did All The Toys Go?

Sometime during the last year I heard a discussion on the radio that literally saved my home from disaster.  The radio personality was discussing the sanctity of the home.  He explained that the home ought to be a place for the family to live. It is not a playground.  Thus, a house should never be overrun with toys.

The radio personality explained that my kid friendly house was doing a disservice to me and my family.  He reminded me that my children are not the homeowners.  My husband and I have worked hard for our house and it belongs to us.  Our children are privileged to have the opportunity to live in our house.  But until they pay the bills themselves, they should not run my house. 

This was my "aha" moment.  My house was overrun with toys.  I had succeeded in creating an environment where my children could explore and play.  But I had unintentionally created a Fisher-Price war zone.  There were toys everywhere and I had even placed a toy box in my living room so that the toys could stay where the people are.  I've been in lots of houses where little children live, and for some reason, I assumed my house was the "normal" house of toddler children.  Sadly, I think I was right.  In this instance, however, "normal" wasn't necessarily a good thing.

I discussed my concerns with my husband immediately.  Thankfully, he agreed with the radio personality and was very open to regaining control of our home.  Thus began our project: Home Redo. 

Over the past year we have successfully managed to contain toys in their proper place.  Initially, we kept a tent in our living room and placed all toys inside.  Then, we moved the tent to our oldest son's bedroom where it lived until our Great Flood of May 2011.  The house flood gave us a reason to throw toys away and to literally redecorate much our home.  Now, we have a cozy, clean house with toys that live in our toddler's bedroom.  For the first time as homeowners, our friends can drop-in unexpectedly and we don't have to hold our breath in fear that they might slip and fall on some toy.

Surprisingly, my children get the concept of a clean house too.  They understand that toys have a place and that they must be put away every night.  Most nights, I'm just happy for the toys to make it inside the perimeter of one of our kid's bedrooms.  But the toys do get there.  And we have officially regained control of our home.  We finally have a place where we can relax and live without the clutter of V-tech and Fisher-Price everywhere.  It's an amazing feeling.

Thank you Dennis Prager for teaching me that toys don't have to rule my life.  We still have baskets in the living room and office where we keep stashes of play things for the little ones, but we aren't constantly making evasive maneuvers around our house to avoid toys.  Sanity has been restored.  It's never to early to teach neatness at home.