(For Part 1, please see the previous post)
Step Three – GET STARTED and REAP THE BENEFITS.
This is not a recipe, just what I’ve found helpful.
- All the baby and toddler gear became a lending library, thanks to our neighbors who took these items to use when their grandchildren visit from out of town. The lending library, named after my daughter, is also used by other grandparents in the neighborhood. We all take pride in knowing the items are helping our immediate community.
- With our daughter, we delivered the baby clothes, stuffed animals and unused toys to a Children’s Home. We didn’t get rid of everything we could have, but we got rid of a lot. Though charity was not the driving force in this decluttering process, it has been one of most meaningful outcomes for all of us. After visiting the home, my daughter started a popcorn stand to raise money for the children there. She is inspiring me to figure out ways to use my own abilities to help others.
- The screaming hot pink cash register is now in purgatory - a cabinet where it can be easily found. After 3- 6 months, its destiny will be determined.
- I continue removing the little nothings. Like dust, I try to get rid of these regularly and expect more to appear. I scoop them into containers near where they collect. Most will eventually end up in the trash, unless someone can find a recycle triangle on them. And depending on my daughter’s dream du jour, a few will become part of her imaginative play.
- I’m trying to think ahead and communicate about gifts. We’re lucky our extended family asks before buying gifts. This helps me be more thoughtful about what my daughter loves to do, what she actually plays with, and what items promote her imagination and creativity.
- I should also add that I have continued a ban on toys with characters on them and briefly explain why. When I was practicing child psychiatry, I was clueless about the extent and impact of marketing to children. After my daughter was born, I became appalled by the items I saw in the stores. This led to me become informed about the strategies of marketing to children. Eventually I became an educator and activist against child targeted marketing. So when I see a princess fishing poll, I see a group of marketers, many assisted by child psychologists, sitting around a conference table using terms like “moving products”, “brand name loyalty”, “cradle to grave” and “the nag factor." For me it's disturbing. And these aren’t even the marketers sitting around the other conference table giving the thumbs up to padded bras for 8 year olds. I could go on. All this being said, there is a toothbrush in our house with a character on it. I’m not perfect, and neither are my bans.
- Last, but certainly not least, before I buy anything for me, my daughter or our family, I ask if the item is necessary, will it enhance or detract from our lives and where will it go.