Pick Up Toy Day

Am I the only mother of a 1 1/2 year old who feels she is constantly putting toys away and half an hour later, they are magically all out again? As if they had gained life of their own and walked right out of their boxes. It's a mystery to me, but that's just the way it is! Trust me, I try to teach Toby to put the toys away after we play. We sing clean-up songs, we have different boxes for different colored toys, just to make the boring task a little more interesting for the little guy... but the truth is... I end up doing most of the job myself. Especially if I'm in a hurry to head out of the house and don't want to get back to a chaotic living room (that's where Toby spends most of the time playing).

But there is no way out, playing is their job at this age. And as much work as there is involved in the clean-up, I will whole-heartedly do it over and over again, if it means he will be exploring things, rather than being mesmerized by the screens. Yup, things have definitely changed. A generation ago, parents only had to keep track of the TV, now it's the iphone, the ipad, the laptop and all those other electronic devices especially made for children which I am barely aware of (and hope not to encounter in the near future...)

Do I sound too old-fashoined? Well, that's probably because I am! I can't help loving the wooden toys, stuffed animals, fabric books, the sandbox, and the list goes on and on.... Of course I also like the new, so-called "educational" toys, with all sorts of lights and buttons that sing rhymes and songs. I'm not saying my opinions won't change in the future. As life gets busier we may need to resort to such devices to keep little ones occupied while we finish our work...but with all my heart I will try very hard to keep my children away from the screens (at least until they can gain some actual benefit from them) and into the hands-on, creative toys that are glancing at us all over the house!

Enjoy your day! And if you do have little ones around, a "happy pick-up toy day" to you!


Gisela