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Earlier today, put a Twitter/Facebook status out:
"Life is not about what we own, but we live like it is. Possessions should enrich our life, not makes us slaves. Does your stuff own you?"
Terri responded with this question:
"How do we help our kids understand this concept? I'm helping Jessika clean her room and am embarrassed by all the junk!!!"
You show them in tangible ways, depending on their age, how "stuff" can OWN a person:
- Have them track the time it takes to clean, organize and maintain their stuff.
- Tell them you are going to occassionally "steal" some of their stuff, and ask them how they feel being concerned about that, and how they feel after it happens.
- Have them pay for a lot of their own stuff, so they can see the "life" you have to give to purchase "stuff"
- Have them inventory their stuff a couple of times and record what they have and how many (tell them that when you are an adult, "keeping track" of your "stuff" is part of life)
- Set up a parent funded "insurance policy" where they pay you to insure certain items against loss or breakage
Then, if you are REALLY adventurous, remove 90% of their stuff for a couple of weeks, and have them do all of the above again. Talk with them about how much less stress, worry, effort, energy, time and money it takes to deal with a small amount of necessary "stuff" versus a truckload of "stuff" they don't even need.
~ Brent
3 comments:
Thanks for the great ideas. Since I don't have kids yet, this made me think of when I was a little girl and HATED to clean my room. (Wait, I still do.) But back then my mom tried a strategy for a while where she would pick up everything in garbage bags, label them for me or my brothers, and put them in the garage. If we needed/wanted any one toy we had to put away everything in that bag. (And we couldn't look to see if that bag had what we wanted.) It didn't last long because Mom soon found out that we would rather find another way to entertain ourselves rather than clean. Hmm. Maybe we didn't need any of that "stuff."
so interesting that you posted this. i just tripped again in the playroom. actually took a picture i will have to post. we have given 4 boxes of toys away this past few months to various places (crisis pregnancy center, church nursery, etc.) and still have so much "STUFF". The boys are so spoiled by the people we love and I am reminded that it is my responsiblilty as a godly mom to raise my boys knowing where they need to store up treasures. (and it's not in the playroom). Great ideas that we will be implementing very soon!
sara
www.marblesfromheaven.blogspot.com
Oh my Heavens.....I NEEDED this post! The ONLY "Stuff" I really WANT is this PC/Table/Chair to sit at PC
BUT it would take me HOURS to get "STUFF" organized the way I would ... use to have it in a room that (Thank You Jesus) has a door on it! I have even thought about opening the window & throwing it down to the ground then GIVING it all away (did that before moving from AZ to MN - Gave it away!) LOL
Your post is like... "Time to get it OUT of here!" :D
ps sorry I'm going backwards to catch up it's been a rough wk
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