Toys seem to be a pain point for many moms and many homes. But it just typical to have this overabundance of toys for kids in this generation. We don’t question it.
As a Christian mom I started seeing a lot of unhealthy attitudes develop in my kids. And the majority of those attitudes were stemming from the toys that we had accumulated. I know the root of the attitudes were of course from sin but it always went back to the toys.
So I was done. I was ready to throw everything out and become a “no toy” family.
Just think about it. One hundred years ago kids played with sticks and dried corn cob dolls. They played outside, worked with their parents, and were taught at a young age to be a part of the family.
In this generation we don’t really teach kids to become adults. We say to let them be kids and then at 18 years of age they are magically supposed to become adults. But it’s what we teach them from toddlerhood to early adulthood that will truly matter.
I’m not saying that kids don’t toys or should be able to play. They do. That’s how they learn new things. And it’s so beautiful to watch them play.
But having an overabundance of toys for them to dump on the floor, argue about, or become obsessed over is not healthy especially if we are wanting to raise disciples for the Lord.
If a certain toy is the first thing that your kid asks about in the morning or if your child loses it when a sibling has a toy then they are learning that material is more important than God or family. Or if you kid is always asking for a new toy even when they have so much they are then learning to sit in discontentment.
And I want to argue that we as the parents who are allowing this overabundance into our homes are provoking our kids to sin. The more clutter you have the more chaotic you feel. And the more temptations that are around you the more likely you are to fall prey to sin.
And that is what we are welcoming into our homes when we have an overabundance of toys in our home.
I’m not even going to touch on the toys that are tied to spiritual attacks and control. That’s a whole different topic.
But I do want to look at what the Bible tells us, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16)
Those attitudes that may be developing in your child is not from the Father but is from the world. We need to be teaching them to love the Lord over any toy in their possession.
If something is causing you to stumble in sin you would remove it from your life. And I believe we should be teaching our kids to do the same.
This is a new journey for us. And I have been doing it prayerfully. I will say that we still have toys in our home but I have decluttered probably 90% of what we originally had. Here’s a look at what we have now.
I know this is a drastic shift from what the rest of the world is doing. But I strongly desire to raise godly kids. And if that means being selective of the toys we allow them to play with to reduce sibling conflict, discontentment, and idolatry then I can see the need for it. I would love to hear what you think!
