I have a problem.
I am slightly obsessive. Not overly, just slighty. At least that's what I think.
I prefer things to be neat and orderly; but, just because I prefer things neat and orderly doesn't mean that everything in my life always is.
I am sentimental and struggle with knowing what to do with things that I don't necessarily need but have a slight sentimental attachment to.
Anyone who knows me well knows that Lincoln is my clone when it cones to all of this stuff.
He is neat and orderly.
He takes his shoes off when he comes in our house and puts them in the designated shoe area.
He has a certain place for almost everything in his room.
He is also pretty sentimental.
He likes to keep every little toy, every picture he draws or colors, and every project he does at school.
There have been times that I think he has forgotten about something (like a picture of a dinosaur he colored), so I throw it away. It never fails that within about twenty four hours he has miraculously remembered this paper (or whatever I happened to throw away) and wants to know where it is.
OR, he happens to find whatever I've thrown away in the garbage can.
He is always so distraught about it - "Mom, why did you throw this away?" *insert sad face*
It breaks my heart.
To avoid that, I have had to resort to skillfully sneaking anything that is throw-away worthy out to the garbage can that is in the garage.
But then.... he asks where whatever I threw away is.
I usually don't have the heart to tell him so I say something like,
"I don't know, buddy, it's got to be around here somewhere."
Then he wanders off to look for it and generally gets distracted and finds something else to do.
So, dear abby, what I want to know is this - is it wrong to knowingly throw away things that are so very important to my four year old? Is it wrong to not tell him that I threw his things away? How can I help him understand that we cannot keep EVERY single thing that he receives and makes in his life?
Sincerely,
Trash collector's mom
1 comment:
I have had the same problem for about 6 years. Hannah draws approx. 6 pieces of art a day. She gives them to me as a present of love. I keep the best ones, my favorites that she has told a story about in a bin, but the rest I throw away secretly. I do feel bad, but our house would be overflowing with artwork. So I tell her I have a special place to put them....they just don't ALL make it there. That's not exactly lying, right? So don't feel bad, I think every Mom does what she has to do!!!
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