The Law of Supply and Demand

Why is it that the toy that never gets played with gets cried over when finally discovered by a sibling or a stranger?

 

I am thinking of putting a stranger on my payroll that plays with all the unused, unwanted toys in my house till they regain their popularity.  It would certainly be cheaper than going out and buying more toys we have no room for.  For now I will just ask my toddler to play with the giant Bratz microphone or the dusty dance mat that barely makes an appearance from its spot under the bed.  Then of course her big sister will suddenly renew her interest in them.

 

I have always been an advocate of hiding the excess birthday gifts for rainy day surprises but you can only get away with that till your kids are like 3 (if your lucky).  In an apartment it is kind of hard to hide toys, they are usually under a bed or in the bottom of a toy chest.  There’s a spot my kids never look.  Good reason never to have a toy chest unless you plan on rotating it every 2 weeks so they will actually know what is on the bottom.  You can also get a clear bin so at least your kids can see what’s on the bottom.  I can say with absolute certainty that no more than 5 toys per child are actually popular at any one time in most households.  We all know our children have their favorites but everything else is mainly junk we can’t wait to get rid of but won’t for fear that our children might miss it or the person who bought it three years ago may decide to pay a visit and notice it gone.  For me it is a real cleansing experience, pardon the pun, to get rid of excess toys.  The best way to do it is either alone or with the promise of something new if the old moves out.  Better yet, let’s teach our kids to give their unwanted toys to charity.  Happy Spring cleaning!