Author: Anthony

 

Ushering a child into a minimalist lifestyle can be tough. I also believe that the method used for one child, might not work for another child. So with that being said, I can only describe the method we used (my wife and I) to enforce this lifestyle with our daughter.

Let me start by saying that I do not believe that the material possession limitations for children are the same as that for an adult. Since the world is new to them, and they’re still discovering, they tend to be more appreciative of all the gifts they get. As adults we’ve “been there and done that,” so we don’t hold as much value in Christmas Mug we got as a present from our aunt Jinny. Whereas my daughters eyes glow at the smallest insignificant trinket of a gift. It’s not so insignificant to her, just to me and my wife. As a result, a child’s supply of things (toys …. to be honest) is going to be larger than an adults. This brings us to rule 1:

 

1. Do not purge the child’s toys based on how we asses their value, but how the child assesses their value.

 

This cannot be done by merely asking the child if they wouldn’t mind getting rid of a certain toy (chosen at random), as they would no doubt say something similar to “NO daddy, I want it!” Instead we can asses how much a child values a toy by having a general idea of how often they even use the toy. For those toys that are seldom (if ever) used, put them aside for purging.

Ah, but we cannot just dispose of them yet, under their nose like that, as there is still a chance they will notice. This is a common mistake that risks losing the child’s trust, and if that happens we will never be able to get the child to fall in line with minimizing. So:

 

2. Get the child’s permission to dispose the toy.

 

Sounds impossible eh. Consider this. Since the child is not playing much with the toy, their concern is not that they will no longer be playing with the toy, but that the toy is being discarded. The concern is for the toy itself, not for the time they spend with it. Re-assure the child that the toy is going to be used and valued for another purpose, and then of course follow through with that purpose. In our case, we tell our daughter that since she doesn’t use it very much the toy will belong to another child that will love it and play with it a lot more than she does; a child that doesn’t have as many toys as she does. Then we either take it to consignment, donate it to a charity, or give it to a friends child. Our daughter has always responded positively to this.

 

Now my four year old daughter comes up to my wife all the time with a toy in hand and says “Mommy, we can midimize (not a typo) this toy mommy. Give it to the poor kids.”

I’m so proud.

 

Everything in our world is in a constant state of flux. The reality around us is changing; technology is changing, fashions are changing, lifestyles are changing, family structures are changing, EVERYTHING IS CHANGING. Don’t blink, because you will miss it. This is an undisputed fact of life. As a result, we as people must adapt to these changes in order to stay current, be marketable, and ultimately to survive.

Being minimalists, we are in an ideal position to embrace this fact of life, and adjust to it. This is one of the beautiful things about living a life free of clutter and distraction; one can quickly transition to rid them self of outdated material, and incorporate something new in their life without having to take the time to clear space for it (mental, physical, and calendar space). The transition is unfettered.

With that being said, whatever our values are, I propose that we add “embrace change” to that list. By adding this to our list of values, we allow ourselves the flexibility to swap out, and swap in, other potential values to and from that list. Because make no mistake, there most likely will come a time when some of the things in life that we value will become obsolete, or be taken from us.

 

Example: In the early 1900’s America there were a plethora of proud business owners that were embracing the American dream and opened up their own pub. They were a proud people, and they took great joy in providing a service where the townsfolk could come visit them in merriment at the end of their work day and kick back a few suds while sharing laughs and tales.

Then prohibition passed.

Those bar owners that had “embrace change” on their value lists handled this much easier, and probably had a plan-B lined up. Those that didn’t were likely in a state of denial and rendered themselves obsolete.

 

Come to think of it, “embrace change” is the only item on our list of values that is fixed, other than the three core values of course (read my book). All other items are swappable.