Kids & Clutter: The Transition Box May 2, 2008

My daughter has a ton of stuff, and everything is “special”. She also likes to make weird and interesting structures and “contraptions” and lots and lots of artwork, books, cards, invitations, etc. Her “studio”, as we call it, almost always looks like a bomb went off, and her room is worse. The dolls have more clothes than the rest of us put together! and then there are the stuffies . . .

The photo is her studio on a good day, and the structure on the right is a Space Station - in case you couldn’t tell.

All this clutter and jumble drives me crazy, but she won’t hear of getting rid of anything; she’s even been known to pull things out of the trash and recycling bins.

So what’s a mother searching for order and serenity to do?

A friend shared a brilliant solution . . . the Transition Box. I put things into the box that I know my daughter has lost interest in or outgrown. If she hasn’t asked about something within a couple of weeks, out it goes - to the trash, donated, on to the next child, whatever is appropriate.

This is a great place for all those trinkets that come home from birthday parties, school projects that you don’t plan to save, small games, etc. Right now the box holds an old, worn-out toothbrush and some sheep’s fleece that a classmate brought to school to share - among other treasures.

For the record, she has never asked about anything I’ve put in the box and even better, I’ve used the box on myself. If there’s something I’m having trouble parting with, I put it in the box, and if I’ve forgotten about it and don’t miss it, then out it goes.

Next installment of Kids & Clutter: The Unavailable Box