Getting rid of old toys can be quite a hassle

• Published April 19, 2009

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This is a traditional time of the year to clean, throw out clutter and get organized.

At the top of our springtime punch list is downsizing the toy collection.

Between birthdays, Christmas and the never-ending influx of fast-food freebies, our kids receive more toys than they can keep track of, play with and, apparently, put away.

I find myself making the same threat that my parents used on my sister and I: “If you don’t get these toys picked up right now, I will box them up and give them to children who will take care of them.”

I have no clue where I would find said children, but that’s why they call them idle threats.

When our daughter was a baby, we read several books and magazine articles about the importance of involving a child in getting rid of toys. They talked about how kids would learn to become philanthropic if you taught them to give their unwanted toys to a charity. They talked about how empowering it is for children to be involved in major decisions about their personal belongings.

Obviously, “they” had never met our daughter.

First, some background. Our daughter is a saver — some might go as far to describe her as a pint-size pack rat. One might think she lived through the Great Depression, with her desire to give everything a second or third chance.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, and I’m glad she sees value in reusing items and reducing waste.

But when she saves things like the extra long sundae spoon from Dairy Queen, the tiny taster spoon from Baskin Robbins, and the Costco receipt with a scribbled smiley face (which she pretended was a real baby for several weeks, while her baby dolls were at the bottom of her toy box), it means I’m saving those things, too. And I don’t have room for more clutter, especially stuff that was purposely designed to live out its life in a landfill, a recycling station, an art studio, or a home that’s larger and far more organized than mine.

Our daughter was about 3 when we decided to explain that some toys needed to go away to make room for new ones. She sobbed and clung to every toy we touched — even ones that were broken, too babyish or ignored for months. And it didn’t stop at toys: She acted the same way about all of her day-care and preschool art projects, and other random items that she had collected in her room.

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