Honest Simplicity

I think I have a young minimalist on my hands (at least, one in the making).  I’m speaking of my creative, energetic, chatterbox 8-year old daughter.  One morning this week, I stumbled into the kitchen, half-awake, to make myself some coffee.  Before I could reach the teapot, this sprightly daughter of mine bounced into the room announcing she had a pile of stuffed animals she’d like to part with.  “Uh….ok…that is great!” I mumbled, caught off guard by her radiating energy so early in the morning.  I peeked into her room and sure enough, there was a giant mound of toys on the floor awaiting new homes.  My daughter smiled with pride at her cleaning efforts and pointed toward her tidy bed (previously the home of her sizable stuffed animal collection).  My son was moved to casually toss two toys into the pile before completing his morning chores.  Still wearing my pajamas, I hauled their items to the basement with the rest of our give-away stuff.  How nice I thought to have the awareness at a young age that too much stuff can weigh you down.  I love witnessing my kids seeking the rewards of minimalism on their own.  Of course, my kids will want new toys.  Their chore money will burn holes in their pockets.  Their room will get messy again.  That is ok!  They are kids, after all, but kids with an increasingly healthy perspective on how to manage their stuff.