Purging the Kid Clutter? Save a Few Treasures for Empty-Nest Nostalgia
Last weekend, I opened my entryway closet to find a doll stroller wresting the hula hoop, a jump rope strangling the tennis racquets and a jumble of scooters knocking the vacuum over directly into my shin. And that was my seasonal cue to purge. Out went the neglected badminton racquets, neon green plastic baseball bat and outgrown balance bike. And in swept the bliss I find in freeing up space. My default is to shed toys, clothes and art projects the moment they become irrelevant. I eagerly donate, toss or pass them along to a neighbor or cousin to make room for the next hobby my kids adopt. And, frankly, every single thing I get rid of, is one less item I need to manage. It’s exhausting to constantly pick up pipe cleaners and toothpicks before someone’s bare foot gets stabbed. I detest tripping over dolls, slipping on marbles, and peeling Elmer’s glue off the windowsill from a drying popsicle stick creation. It’s frustrating to wage war against Rubik’s cubes monopolizing the end table...