Do you ever get so fed up with all the toys lying around? This is the inside story of my drastic decision to take my kids’ toys away.
As some of you already know, I’ve been on a mission this year to simplify my family’s life and rid ourselves of excess. Over the course of the past nine months I have probably given away about 75 percent of my girls’ toys, keeping only the items that I felt encouraged their imagination and that they actually played with. I thought I was doing pretty good.
Even so, there were warning signs that my kids still had too much stuff. In June, we took a field trip to Reptile World in Orlando. Afterwards we decided it would be fun to take the girls to dinner at a dinosaur-themed restaurant called T-Rex in Downtown Disney. While we were waiting to be seated my oldest daughter Maggie spotted the Build-a-Dino Workshop in the gift shop and although we immediately said “no way,” from that moment on she could think of nothing else.
All through our delicious dinner, surrounded by dramatic (fake) meteor showers and animatronic dinosaurs, she fixated on the one thing she couldn’t have rather than the cool sights we were actually experiencing.
On the three hour drive home, Husband and I–seriously concerned by our daughter’s inability to enjoy the moment–made a point to talk about all the neat stuff we had seen, what our favorite reptiles were, and how funny Trouble had been holding the snake. By the time we made it home the Build-a-Dino had been forgotten. At least by her. But we were worried.
The Breaking Point
In the weeks that followed, Chuck and I talked a lot about how we were going to handle this lack of contentment we were noticing. Then one morning near the end of July, after telling my kids to clean their room for the umpteenth time, I made the somewhat impulsive–albeit pre-warned–decision to take away ALL their stuff.
Just 2 days earlier I had spent half the day cleaning their room & re-organizing their toys and closet, which is something I do fairly regularly. I wasn’t asking them to clean some giant out-of-control mess, just to pick up a few items off the floor and put them away in the very clearly labeled baskets. Every time I came back to check on them, they had not only NOT picked up, they had made an even bigger mess.
Why I Took My Kids’ Toys Away (& Why They Won’t Get Them Back)
I finally gave up and took it all away. I wasn’t angry, just fed up. I calmly began packing up not just a toy or two, but every single thing. All their dress-up clothes, baby dolls, Polly Pockets, & stuffed animals, all their Barbies, building blocks, and toy trains, right down to the the furniture from their dollhouse and play food from their kitchen. I even took the pretty Pottery Barn Kids comforter from their bed. The girls watched me in stunned silence for a few minutes and then, when the shock wore off, they helped. And just like that, their room was clear.
The Paradigm Shift
I had no idea what a dramatic difference this one semi-impulsive decision would make in all our lives. I first started noticing a real change about 4 weeks later when we took a family trip to Key West.
In contrast to our last outing and for the first time ever, neither girl asked us to buy a single thing the entire weekend. Not a toy, not a cheesy souvenir, not a light-up necklace from a passing street vendor. Nothing. We passed hundreds of shops and they loved looking in the window, but they were content just to be. What was most amazing to me was that we didn’t talk to them about it ahead of time. Not once did we have to tell them not to ask, or explain that being together was what mattered.
Had I not experienced it with my own eyes, I would’ve never believed that an addiction to stuff could be broken that quickly. The truth is that when I took all their stuff away, I was terrified at what would happen. I worried that I was scarring them for life, depriving them of some essential developmental need, taking away their ability to self-entertain.
So…what happened??
In reality, the opposite has happened. Instead of being bored, they seem to have no shortage of things to do. Their attention span is much longer and they are able to mindfully focus on their task at hand. They color or read for hours at a time and happily spend the entire afternoon playing hide & seek or pretend.
They are far more content, able to appreciate the blessings that they do have, and able to truly enjoy the moment they are in without always having to move on to the next thing. They are more creative and patient, more willing to share, far more empathetic towards the plight of others, and, with little to fight over, they hardly fight at all.
When I do take down a toy for them to play with (no, I didn’t throw everything away), such as their Lego blocks or dress-up clothes or or their kitchen food & dishes, that one thing will entertain them for the entire day. (The rest has more or less been forgotten and will soon make it’s way from the attic to the Goodwill pile.)
What I love even more is that they are able to recognize excess on their own. Aside from a favorite stuffed animal and the comforter on their bed, (which they both earned back), neither of them actually want their toys back on a permanent basis. They like not being overwhelmed by stuff and not having to spend so much time cleaning their room. In fact, later that very same day, as we drove to gymnastics class, Maggie said it’s okay that we don’t have any more toys Mommy. We can just read and use our imaginations. And now we won’t have to clean up every day. She understood before I did that more stuff doesn’t make us happier.
No turning back
When I first became a mom I was so happy to have a chance to start over, to undo through my children all the wrong that was done to me, to give them everything I felt I had missed out on. I wanted our lives to be perfect, and my vision of perfection included a perfectly decorated bedroom filled with beautiful things, a life where they would want for nothing.
I equated giving them stuff with making them happy, a message that our consumer driven culture hammers into our psyches from the time we our born. Oh, what a lie!
I started this blog because I am a shopaholic, and there are so many times where I buy things when I am bored or unhappy, just to fill the void. My husband laughs at me (and sometimes throws up his hand in frustration) because although I talk a good game about wanting to downsize and get rid of stuff, in reality there are still many times where I just can’t help myself from buying more.
I justify it, telling myself it was on sale or a really good deal, or something we really needed, or that I deserve it because I work so hard. In reality it is just another thing I am trying to buy to solve a problem that runs much deeper.
Stuff isn’t evil in and of itself, but in a world where we are constantly told that what we have isn’t quite good enough, the love of things can so very easily consume us. It is the pursuit of it all–more toys, cuter clothes, a prettier house, a nicer car, a bigger computer, a fancier phone–that makes us forget all the things that actually matter.
It wasn’t until after observing first hand the real and immediate changes in my children after taking their toys away that I truly began to understand. And now instead of me teaching them, they have taught me the lesson I wish I would’ve have learned a long time ago.
For our family, there’s no turning back.
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Ruth Soukup
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GREAT post! I don’t buy my son toys almost at all, but his Grandma enjoys buying him stuff and is a very sweet and generous person. I think what stops me from clearing out his room the most is knowing that she had such a good heart in getting him stuff. How do I get rid of stuff without looking ungrateful?? = /
Thanks Juli. I have the same problem with my Husband’s sister, who spoils my daughters rotten. She has gotten a little better over the years as we have gently tried to explain how important it is that our kids not have too much stuff. I think seeing me give some of their stuff away that she had given them also made her realize it was a little too much. Now she sticks mostly to clothes so they are very well dressed. 🙂 Ultimately I just had to get over the idea that because something was a gift we had to keep it forever. Anything that is truly special & sentimental I put away in a keepsake box, but let’s be honest: a lot of it is just stuff!
I have the same situation… my inlaws (including aunts-in-law) constantly buy my kids crap. What finally did it was having my MIL here when I had another baby. While she was here I asked if she’d help me organize their stuff/closet because now three kids would be sharing a room. When she saw first hand how much STUFF they have and had to put up with figuring out where the hell it would all go (I had a c-section, so she had to do all the heavy lifting), she declared she’d never buy them another toy again. Now she gets them one big thing they actually need, and asks us first. This year they’ll be getting bunk beds for Christmas. She still feels like she’s being helpful and giving, we’re greatly appreciative… and no small pieces all over the house 🙂
A Bunk Bed is not a Christmas gift its something a parent needs to provide for their child to sleep in In other words its a bed the child needs it shouldn’t be called a Gift. Your taking away the joy of your child getting a special toy Christmas is for children not for the parents to get a huge furniture piece from a relative just so they don’t have to pay for it The parents wanted it not the child That s like a husband giving his new bride a blender saying sorry I couldn’t afford to take you out for our Anniversary and buy you a gift I figured its something we could use Would you like it? Katie
This post just really hits home as I am the mother to two grown children and with my daughter getting married in the middle of July and wanting to start her family early next year (by the latest), I am faced with some soul searching here. My mother was a wonderful, loving, generous woman born in 1926 just before the Great Depression. She remembers having a lovely dolly (that I now have as part of all my “stuff”….another topic for another post 🙂 but not much else. My Dad always had a great job as an Engineer, and my brother and I were raised solid middle class. We did not lack for anything. I love stuff so my Mom always was very generous with gifts for my kids, God bless her soul. When my daughter was 7 and my son 2, our family moved away out of state. My parents would visit for 10 days only every summer. My Mom would bring mucho gifts when they visited. I think my kids were happier to see my parents for the gifts then for themselves. I never realized this until I read this post. My daughter is already afraid I’m going to spoil my grandchildren. This is a two generation trend, and I vow to break this trend with my future grandchildren instead making the time they will have with their Mom-Mom the special gift of the day. I love everything that has been said here and wished I had thought of some of these things with my own children. I love the idea of rotating toys. That’s ingenious! Ps – mine and my husband’s stuff is driving us crazy!! I can only imagine how it can overwhelm children. Thanks for everyone here for their input. Ruth, you made a step in the right direction for your family. I commend your bravery for taking the leap 🙂
I’ve been working on this same problem with my family. This year I finally made some headway and my sisters got together and gave us a family membership to our favorite zoo and for my daughters birthday this month my sister sent 4 movie passes and a gift card enough to cover popcorn and juice for everyone. My daughter and I think these were the best gifts to date!
I also went with the less is more thought at Christmas when Santa filled a stocking (socks, undies, her favorite bath bubbles, a pack of side walk chaulk and a bottle of outdoor bubbles!) and put just one other gift under the tree. I went small in gifting this year too. Two new outfits and a couple of books. I really thought my daughter would be disapointed but she had more fun with the few things then with the many of years past!
My daughter and her best friend’s birthdays are with in a couple of weeks of each other and I took the girls out for a day of lunch out and a movie. Her mother acctually thanked me for thinking outside the box and not bringing another toy into their house. This weekend she is taking the girls to one of those indoor play grounds, I thanked her for the lack of toy gift too!
Thank you for the inspriration to really get rid of all the toys that I keep stepping on that never get played with. I know just what I will keep and everything else will get packed away or donated! Thank you!!!
You are an inspiration! I feel like I am being driven out of my house by all of the stuff that my children and husband acquire! I always nagging them about the memories that we have. None of them include this STUFF! I would love to do this, but I feel like I would be lynched in my own home. But maybe this is what I need to risk so they can look back and remember the family moments, not the video games, the bins of junk, the piles of stuffed animals, etc….. Thank you for your post!!
Thanks Tanya. I wish you the best. It is definitely a BIG (and hard) step to take, but so worth it!
This post came at the perfect time for me! My kids have an overwhelming amount of STUFF and my husband and I have be one sick of it. Neither of us grew up with excess and I spent hours reading and playing outside, same as my husband. My son’s biological mother left him when he was a few months old and my husband lved with his parents until we got married when our son was four. He was spoiled and still is by his grandparents and now my daughter is too. I argue on a daily basis with the kids to clean up their oversized playroom and I’m tired of the disorganization! We are being pulled by the Holy Spirit to pull our son from private school and I need half of that playroom for our classroom! I am planning on getting rid of st least half of the stuff and praying our family members support us and help us on this journey to simplify life! Because even though our son loves reading and my three year old daughter can do puzzles for hours, I still hear the words “I’m bored!” and it breaks my heart! I want my kids to understand that life is about love and people around you, not the stuff… Thank you thank you for this post, I needed to know I am not the only one in the world that wants to throw the needless toys out the window!!
Good luck Karilee. It can be so hard when there are other people buying gifts for your kids because getting rid of them seems mean or ungrateful. We have that same problem with my Husband’s sister who LOVES to spoil them with toys and clothes. I finally just had to give myself permission to let stuff go, but anything that is “sentimental” I do put away in a keepsake box.
We have a couple that we know that asked their parents to not get the kids more than 3 gifts. One is a book, two is an outfit or piece of clothing and three may be a toy. Luckily they were happily to comply. It is a hard subject to discuss with some family members. Luckily for us our family knows my son gets overwhelmed with getting to much stuff at once as he struggles with autism. We let our boys open everything and then put some stuff back, rotating it through out the year. I also do a fall clean out and get ready of all the things that they do not use. hope that helps some
“Bored” is a four-year word in our home. If the kids are bored, I make sure they aren’t bored and they get an automatic half hour of weeding in the garden. Their friends know better too! It helps them to be pro active about using their imagination to have fun.
I had a daycare in my home for forty years, the “B” word got a time to sit on a chair with binoculars and watch the grass grow.
What a terrible thing to do to a child! When a kid says they’re bored, give them a book to read or have them research a new topic. Give them something to be creative with. Don’t punish them for expressing a completely human emotion, help them learn. I can’t imagine who lets these people work with kids, when they clearly don’t understand them at all..
Well that surely doesn’t help…and I mis say I would never have wanted my children attending that daycare at all. When a child is bored give them something to stimulate their imagination, don’t punish them. Ask them…”Okay, your bored, let’s think of some creative things to do to fix that!” I feel that is a more appropriate answer to the situation but to each his own.
There were millions of things to do at my daycare. The kid who got the binoculars usually ended up telling me about all the neat things he was seeing. Kids say they are bored sometimes just to see what you’ll come up with. Sometimes they need a quiet activity where THEY find the things to do by themselves.
That is terrible! If children ( in general ) are bored it would be best to give them something to do for the day like reading a book, coloring, etc. You could even print out free coloring pages for them to color in. You could even let the children figure out what to do THEMselves.
That is terrible! If children ( in general ) are bored it would be best to give them something to do for the day like reading a book, coloring, etc. You could even print out free coloring pages for them to color in. You could even let the children figure out what to do THEMselves.
whenever we said “i’m bored” as kids, our mom gave us a chore to do. needless to say, it helped immensely! 🙂
Well yeah. People get bored. Doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them.
I think this is devastating for children. Toys keep their minds and bodies active and make them happy to be alive. Children can and do understand loss and they can grieve. If all toys are suddenly taken away from them and not given back forever. They will feel like a part of them has passed away.
Yes, I’ve thought about it very often! I really think they would be content with only dress up clothes & Legos. I can hear the oldest boys now saying..”What about your stuff mama?”. Who knows…Maybe I’ll do it today:)
LOL dress up and Legos are the 2 main toys in this house too! I can’t wait to hear how it goes Holly…I hope you write a post about it! 🙂
Thank you for this post! I told my husband just this morning that our 11 year old needs to go on a technology break! He has his tablet or a video game everywhere he goes and has a hard time socializing with other kids! He excels in academics and baseball, but other than that, he is glued to some form of technology for the majority of the day. If I restrict his access, he becomes moody and irritable. This is excatly what I needed to hear! Thanks, Ruth!
Faith I hear you on the technology! We decided to restrict the girls’ computer/television/Kindle time when we started homeschooling because it was becoming such an obsession for both of them. Now they are allowed a MAX of 30 minutes of screen time a day, but during the week we try to cut it out completely unless it is something school-related. It has definitely made a big difference too! 🙂 Good luck!
YES!! We have this exact problem! All of the kids have handheld devices and a seemingly non-stop itch to be on the computer! While my husband and I were on a trip we put up ALL of the electronics and limited computer time to school-related activities during the week and only 30 minutes a day on the weekend to make it easier for my parents while they were watching the kids for us. We have been home for a month now and have yet to change any rules….LOVE IT! And the kids, surprisingly, are not that bummed! If they know they can’t have it, there is no stress over wondering when/if they can use it. Out of sight, out of mind!
Just cuirous, how come the Kindle is in that list? They’re a very good way to have plenty to read both at home and on the go while being easy to transport and hard to mess up. Unless you have a Kindle that’s not ‘read only’, then I could see the reasoning.
This seems like an excellent point. If the “clutter” of books is too much then I think a kindle or a Nook is a perfect solution. Children NEED creative outlets and reading is extremely beneficial.I find it interesting that this question didn’t get a response.
A kindle is still “screen time”. Plus Kindle is not just books. It also has books that are read to you almost like movies. You can check email. Browse the web. etc If you want to limit screen time and still give your kids something to read, I suggest going to the local library. The books are free and when you are done you just give them back. If they don’t like them than they don’t have to finish it and take out another one.
It depends on what kind of kindle you get. My paperwhite can’t open email, read to me, or surf the web. It does advertise books but I think I can pay ten or fifteen bucks to get rid of that feature. If you get a kindle tablet, then yes it is screen time.
I read recently that studies show people have lower retention rates of information when they have read a book on an e-reader/Kindle than if they read the same material from a paper book.
Than get a kobo the e ink display looks exactly like a book.
Why would anyone be mad about her decision to purge unless THEY have a guilty conscience and know they should follow this same advice BUT don’t have the power to do it. It’s so funny how the culture is set up- if you go against the mainstream agenda, your demonized, the people doing the demonizing first of all, don’t even relize there’s an agenda to begin with, there is a war over our minds and best believe there are many powerful people who will do whatever they need to do to make sure trends like this one in this blog post don’t happen in large scale. Because if it did, and everyone stopped buying toys, stopped COVETING, if that happened nationality, those big powerful people would be loosing LOTS of money! And that is where the negativity comes in. The masses are blinded just like they want them. I hope this post wakes some sleepers up
hi, i might be a kid but listen to me, kids will be kids, no matter what, if you cut down their screen time they just sit there and be bored, i sat in my room for 10 and a half hours literally!!!! and school is taking over our lifes, i now have school for 7 and a half hours (starting at 8:30 and ending at 4, and dont forget the homework, which usually takes me a hour and a half (cause i am dyslexic) and then i have to do mathematics for 45 minutes then i have dinner at 6:30 giving me half an hour sometimes less to tidy my room, and dinner ends around 7 giving me 30 minutes to play and then go to bed, (this took me half an hour to write 🙁
Sweetheart, you’re exactly right. School does take an enormous amount of time in any child’s day. It’s a full time job for sure. I remember hating school so much that I would give myself tummy aches every day thinking about going. There wasn’t anything really wrong with it, I just wanted to be doing ANYTHING else. Just remember that even though it seems like your whole life now, it’s only temporary. You will finish and look back thinking “wow, that went by so fast!” Be sure to make the most of it and keep working hard so you can have a bright future. If your parents are limiting your screen time, why not try something new? Learn to paint or come up with a new game. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was draw comic books. The world has endless opportunities, you will surely find your passion. Stay positive 🙂
Definitely an interesting post. I go through my 2.5 year old sons periodically and pull out any he doesn’t play with to take to the thrift store. We’ve started the Christmas tradition where Santa may bring a few items, but we also leave some for him to “take to other children”. I try to limit the number of toys he has, but not pull them away completely.
Faith – I have a coworker who makes days that start with T – “technology free”. The whole family does not use anything technology in the home – tv, tablet, computer, even the phone on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. At school and work are an obvious exception, but it’s gone over very well for them. It was hard at first, but the kids are finding new forms of entertainment, and the parents are even satisfied with the challenge for themselves! Just thought I’d share.
I love that idea! Sadly, our 5 year old gets completely obsessed with our iPad or my husband’s old phone – to play games on. And I’m guilty as well, I know I’m on my phone more than I should be! Probably not setting a good example for my kids… I would love to take away their toys bc I think that would make a huge difference in our family! It will have to wait until after summer since I watch a couple kids over break. Definitely being done sometime!
Thanks for great ideas!
Similar to the “technology free” T-days, starting a couple years ago we developed a family habit of “screen-free Sundays”. Every Sunday, all day, nothing with a screen for any family member (TV, computer, iPad, texting, gaming, if we go to a restaurant we ask to sit far from any TV’s, etc. – then we’ll joke about trying not to look at the screen door either). This has been a wonderful thing for us. Maybe we’ll add the T days to it as well.
My wife just read this article a few days ago and sent me a link. We must have been ready because it didn’t take long to say “let’s do it.” Actually, I think that really was the extent of our conversation: “Let’s do it.” “Okay.” We’ve both known for a while that our basement has been way too overloaded with toys.
The third load of boxes of toys is on it’s way to a local charity today. While unloading the first one, the guy asked if we were cleaning out a day care center. 😉 We kept a few things that don’t use batteries and encourage creativity (a wooden train set, Lincoln logs, etc.). Some things were harder than others to let go of. So, about one box worth was packed away out of sight for a while and may go later. But, there’s an immense feeling of relief, like a weight has been lifted. We have room to breathe and play again. Ahhhh.
Faith, you are considering doing a very wise thing for your children. As a grandmother who has seen the result of too much technology, video games, etc,. I will tell you how it has affected my oldest grandson. Very intelligent, and opinionated, the young man who was the first to call me “Nana” knew nothing about me at his graduation from High School. Each visit to my home in Hawaii , meant that the laptop or a book came out while at my house or on the road. There was no conversation, and answers to my queries were simply yes or no. Except for the activity portion of the visit, there was no appreciation for the island culture or beauty. His love of “gaming” kept him from going to college, locked up in his room as a prisoner of the technology he loved. It is an addiction, like any other. Without the ability to communicate with others, he could only relate to his “gaming” friends. He is 20 years old, and unable to secure a job on his own. His mother finally applied and found one for him! Having no sense of responsibility, he has thus far been left behind by his peers, and has lost any sense of personal pride in his appearance or cleanliness. Now he is being treated for depression. If you love your children, don’t let them become engrossed in technology. Sure it’s fun, and there’s much to learn; but creating and maintaining relationships, self-amusement, and learning to play with others is more rewarding in the long run. You are certainly on the right track now. His moodiness now is just a sign of his dependance on electronics for amusement. Better moody now than depressed later!
Thank you Eileen for those words of wisdom. We know a middle age man in the same situation. He has had no life to speak of and now is losing his health to the point of life threatening conditions due to complete inactivity all his life. Sad.
Eileen:
Thank you for posting. I have a son who just turned 20 and is on the same boat! Mine has autism. He is the moodiest person in my house. All he wants to do is watch videos, movies or be on the laptop. I have taken everything away in the past only to have a family member bring it all back because he felt sorry for him. I sat at his birthday party saying that we would be a happier family if I could just throw away all the tv’s in my house. Maybe hearing your grandson’s story might give me the strength and courage to do something about our situation. Thank you for sharing. You will never know how much I appreciate it.
I know more than anyone how horrible this problem of excess is bc of course we experience it too. My son has many traits of Autism but has a good grasp of language so he is labeled ADHD with Sensory Processing Nevertheless, the issues are the same. Fights and tantrums over everything we let him play on (screens) I am a shopaholic but have really toned it down a lot and I did it bc of the “void” in my life and the guilt, thinking that my kids would see how much I loved them. You see, I’m very sick. I have many “disorders” that are very real, cause very real pain and limit what and when I can do things. However, it’s not really observed by my husband. That is the other thing in our lives that’s just not ok. I live on disability and have a difficult time “making it” financially. I cannot work at this time and am even cognitively “challenged” at times. I nearly died and had to have a hysterectomy during the birth of our second child. I never bounced back as I was already very sick before my coma and bf I had my children. I feel guilty bc I can’t go on trips and there are days where all I can do is FORCE myself to get them ready for school and spend the rest of the day in bed. My husband and I have a pretty awful relationship. He is, I believe Bipolar, diagnosed by a psychiatrist during one meeting. Regardless, I never no what to expect and have grown afraid and weary.
At one point I did the same as the author and took away most of his toys. He did not even miss them and will rarely even play anymore as his interests are changing to computer games and devices. He’s still there. I force him to run around the house when we play ” magic word” – one good thing I learned from Pee Wee’s Playhouse of all places. My kids are young. Five and seven. My marriage and tolerance for overindulgence is old. Twenty plus years. However, God (the Universe) gave me what he did and it’s what I have to work with so U keep going. I keep trying. One day things will be better. I pray for myself and practice self care as much as I can. I care for and provide for my children mostly on my own. I will keep doing so until I no longer can. However, I grow weary of this world of excess and try to steer my kids towards kindness and reality. You can run from your problems, I tell them, and fill your life with meaningless clutter but your problems ALWAYS find you until you “Take the Bull by the Horns,” and confront them, then. And ONLY then will we truely be free. There are things we are all able to change, even and most especially me. I do change things as much as I can. I change myself, my attitude and how Ilool at the world and show it to my children. I simply hope that is going to be enough bc right now, it’s all I have.
If you want to break him free from tech stuff… maybe you should take it small. You’re just disrupting his routine and making him feel even worse. I know if my parents decided to take my tech away, I’d be a nervous wreck. I’m also autistic as well, though I’m an adult… but still.
Love this!! I completely agree with you! I’m 34, have 3 kids (11, 2 and 9 months) and I limit electronics. I know people my age, whom I grew up with, who take all the entertainment to a crazy level! They must be stimulated ALL of the time! And these are adults! Moderation is key! I’m sorry your grandson is having such a tough time! I hope things work out!
Love this!! My husband and I are thinking of trying it. We have these same issues with our son, who is a great kid but just completely obsessed with toys and electronics. The part about your daughter missing the fun because she couldn’t have the build-a-dino really struck a chord with us, as our son sulks whenever he doesn’t get a toy and misses so many special things because of it- most recently a trip to the science museum.
C’mon Eileen…
My younger kids this is true too, I’ve noticed the less they have it the less of a thing it is “times up!” “Oh ok here” and they go and play v. the more they have it the more they whine and collapse into a tantrum when it’s time to turn it off. You have to do a “fast” to reset them, figure out your kid see how long it takes, maybe a week or 2, and see what the tipping point is of too much screen time. May be a certain # of days p/week or it may be mins a day you need to limit. I’m so glad we keep the sabbath and I have 1 day a week fast from technology.