Toy Library

Last Monday for Family Home Evening we opened our very own Toy Library. Which means that we loaded up all the toys and put them into the windowless room which adjoins the boys' bedroom. We also put the boys' dresser in the "library". Finally the library was furnished with a lock keyed to our house.

The two older children willingly loaded up their toys because they were tired of cleaning up after the youngest child who recreationally unloaded bins of toys. Maybe he liked the sound of the toys crashing to the ground, or maybe the cause-and-effect factor thrilled him. No one knows. The result was a disaster area.

The Daughter liked the idea of her things being locked in a safe place that her youngest brother couldn't get to while she was at school. The First Boy liked the idea of the library being right off his own bedroom. They both liked not having to help clean up a mess they didn't make. The Second Boy kept asking why we had the library in the first place.

This is why I like The Library: The basement is SOOOO much cleaner. The upstairs is cleaner just because their aren't so many toys dragged up. The kids play with the toys they pick out. (In fact, Tuesday after school the First Boy asked me to let him check out some toys, rather than asking if he could watch TV. That was a nice change.) With the dresser in the library there is a lot less laundry--since the Second Boy can't change his clothes five times a day. I never knew if the clothes on their bedroom floor were clean or dirty. Now their aren't any clothes on their floor. Before they go to bed they pick out their clothes for the next day. Another bonus. I am no longer pestering the children to clean up the basement--everyone likes that.

So far, The Toy Library is a success. Ask me in a month if I still think so.