Saturday, January 10, 2015

How do you not raise a HOARDER?

Ok so it's clean out time.  Clean out the old to make room for the new.  I'm terrible about this.  I'm a mild hoarder.  I keep things because "what if I need that someday".  As my husband repeatedly reminds me, every time he goes to the basement, someday never comes and we have a basement full of junk.  I think it's full of my treasures but he doesn't quite see it that way.   

Now it's time to teach my girls about this.  J1 gets it.  She doesn't love it but she says its what God would want her to do.  Thank you Catholic school.  J2 does not get this.  She cries, hoards, and literally melts down when "old" things go away.  I thought it was normal when she got her big girl bed.  I thought it was my fault when it was her binkys.  Then it was the microwave.  We got a new one and she cried her eyes out in a full on dramatic episode.  She cried for over a half hour about missing "mikeywave" and how she didn't get to say goodbye.  

We have gotten somewhere.  After much deliberation she allows me to send old baby clothes to her little cousin.  Well as we are cleaning out the closets we found their old winter coats.  J1 happily tells me that she's like to donate her coat.  J2 not so much.  She put it on and danced around the house crying about how much she would miss it.  It's maddening but I'm the same way I save everything.  At 5 years old have I ruined her?  Can I change this?  Am I completely overreacting? I guess I will have to wait and see.