Small Donations Can Be Lessons in Sharing

Do your kids have too much stuff too? How many closets in your house are overflowing with games and toys that get played with a handful of times each year? How do you manage the growing amount of "stuff", especially as gift-giving holidays and birthdays come around?

Like we do each time this year around our house, we're going through the children's toys, games, books, stuffies, and puzzles to decide which ones will continue to be enjoyed, and which will be donated so that someone else can enjoy them. We do the same thing with clothes and winter gear, but the kids don't get involved with that process much, other than trying things on.

The type-A organizer in me started doing this clothes-closet-cleanout with each change in season many years ago since they outgrow them so quickly when they're young.

And it felt great. For a few reasons. Getting rid of the clutter feels good and I love to admire their closets after a good cleanout. While they don't get the same pleasure out of saying goodbye to their clutter, I mean gently-loved toys, that I do, we all like that warm fuzzy in our hearts that we feel when we share them with other children who don't have as much.

This year, we cleaned out their closets a few weeks before Christmas "in preparation for new things" and to help other families out. We'll do a second round after Christmas because new presents that need a home in a crowded closet are a big motivation to find donations.

The Lessons Learned

I'll admit, we started this tradition when the children were young and have always involved them so there's no struggles or challenges. And I don't ask them about giving up their most beloved treasures. I know that this can be an emotional process for some children and have heard from parents that it's just easier to go through their toys when they're not home. For those of us who have an easier time with this, it's a great way to teach important lessons of sharing and being grateful for what we have.

For other families, maybe those lessons can be learned by letting your child buy or make a small gift to give another child or to donate. That one small act might, and those warm fuzzies, might make it a little easier for them next time.

Comments

[Kelly Orehovec]

Here is a place that you can drop your toys that some people may now know about.
http://www.metfamily.org/donate.htm