Using the Container Concept with Kids – A Reader’s Story

I’ve been enjoying hearing the stories coming from those who are reading advance copies of my book that releases next week, Decluttering at the Speed of Life. 

This story  from Lisa about using the Container Concept to help her son declutter made me so happy:

Reading the kids chapter and wanted to share a story. My youngest son was adopted from China at 4 1/2 years old. After spending four years in an orphanage, never having his own things (and also add that he has autism among other special needs) he is extremely attached to everything. In his room he has some red fabric bins on a bookshelf where he is allowed to keep anything he wants except food.

One day, after I received a package that had bubble wrap in it, he wanted to keep the bubble wrap. I told him he could, if it fit in one of his red bins that were already bordering on not fitting on his shelf. I suggested that maybe he had some things in there that he’d outgrown, and gave him a small box to put things that he didn’t need anymore.

Three boxes later, his bins were all half full, even with the big chunk of bubble wrap he wanted to save. This was the first time he’d ever willingly let go of something. Yes, I did go cry a few happy tears at how much he’d grown up in just a few years after being home.

The Container Concept really does work great for kids, as well as for us. I wasn’t the bad guy (like when I’d sold toys I thought he was done with at a garage sale that he has never forgotten ten years later) the red bins were the container and defined how much he could have.

This has also worked great with the things he collects. I gave him some mason jars to store and display little things he collects. Rocks, shells, acorns, etc. What fits in the jar is what he can keep.

 

Have you ordered your copy of Decluttering at the Speed of Life? There is a chapter on helping your kids declutter.