Remember when … ? – Toys

When you are a child, your most prized possession is probably your toys (unless you might have a pet, but I didn’t). Were you keeping your room tidy? If so, I am sure your parents really appreciated that. I was not so tidy. I would not clean my room regularly, and even when my mom would tell me to tidy up, i would procrastinate as long as I could. What would you do if your child kept all the toys everywhere they should not be? Well, my mom had her way.

Clean your room

I don’t remember specifically how old i was, but I estimate that i might have been about 6 or 7. I was asked to clean up my room and obviously, I didn’t do it. My mom threatened to throw away all the toys that would be in the wrong place. Did i believe her? Probably not because I didn’t do the task ask asked.

You will lose your toys

Then, she came into my room with a box, and started picking up all the toys. I was sitting on my bed, watching her. Was i trying to stop her? Maybe. I am not sure. I remember crying because she was picking my favorite toys, one by one. I was in shock. Then, she closed the box and left my room.

I forgot

Garbage pickup was twice a week, if i remember correctly, and it was not THAT day. I was thinking that my mom might have a change of mind. I pleaded with her but it didn’t work. A few days later, it was garbage pickup day, and the box was not put at the curb. I was holding my breath, kind of.

A truce

I just remember that the box was still in my mom’s room, and it was closed with paper (maybe there were too many toys to close the box). My mom commented (possibly after i asked), that she had forgotten to put the box to the curb. I pleaded again with her, and finally got a tiny break: she agreed to get my favorite plush toys from the box. She made a hole in the paper, and reached inside to grab the toy.

Lesson learned

What happened to the box of toys? I was never put to the curb, so my toys were never thrown in the garbage. I suspect my mom never really intended to throw them out, but that is what i think now. I still got a good lesson at the time. And from that point, i dont think she ever had to reach the point of having to threaten to throw out my toys. I am not sure that i became a tidier kid, but at least, i would pick up when asked!

Were you a tidy kid when you were young? Did it ever cause you to lose something, or maybe find it much later, as a surprise (like finding money in a coat you get back out of the closet after the winter)? Share your toy story or your clean up story. You were a kid once, you surely have lots of stories. We love to read them.