Consult a Counselor

The “Consult a Counselor Series” is a segment of the Free to Be Mindful podcast, which answers parenting related questions to help caregivers live life mindfully. Today’s question: “My kid has so many toys. I don’t know what to do in regards to the toys AND to the space they take up. HELP!”


ABOUT:
Host Vanessa De Jesus Guzman is an Educator, Licensed Professional Counselor, Entrepreneur and Mom with almost 20 years of experience working with children, families and educators in the educational and counseling fields combined. Mindfulness is at the forefront of her private practice and speaking engagements, which includes segments on the Today Show.


DISCLAIMER:
Videos on this channel are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional counseling help from a licensed clinician.


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Have a question for the Consult a Counselor Series? Email at podcast@freetobemindful.com.


TRANSCIRPT

00:00:02
You're listening to the free to be mindful podcast which provides bite sized tips for busy parents, educators and anyone working with kids. These real talk conversations focus on mindful living, mental health and personal growth, helping all to learn, grow and inspire with mindfulness in mind. I'm your host Vanessa De Jesus Guzman - educator, licensed professional counselor, entrepreneur and mom. I'm passionate about helping folks live life with peace of mind and ease of heart while not losing their... Well you know, here we go. Hi and welcome back to the Consultant a Counselor Series. In this series. I answer parenting related questions so that you can be present and at ease with your child,, and live life mindfully. Today's question is, "My kid has so many toys. I don't know what to do in regards to the amount of toys, the space they take up and what to do right before the holidays. Help!"

00:01:16
Well, I shot this answer right from the comfort of my own home, so check out what I do with my own son. Okay. So I always wanted to make sure that my child grew up humble, that my child didn't have everything he wanted and that he just knew how to appreciate things and yet the mess and the toys and the amount of Legos everywhere drives me bananas. One, because it's not all the stuff that I had. And two, because it's a mess. So right before the holidays we do a cleaning where I asked him to donate. Santa can't bring him anymore toys if he has a lot of toys in the way. So he has to donate what he has to, what he'd like to give out to others in the meantime. What I also do is I take advantage to kind of do a deep cleaning of all the toys, but also to organize because when I asked him to pick up it kind of just all goes in the bin and it's a mess. So what I do - and this is just a tip in case you need it - is I put categories toys by categories in Ziploc bags, one you can see through them.

00:02:25
And if you look at this, this is the Super Mario category. We have blocks here, we have different types of toys that come all together. Sometimes different lego sets. There's PJ Masks toys all in a Ziploc. Disney toys all in a Ziploc. Trolls all in the Ziploc. And so on and so forth. So again it makes it easy to see what's inside. It makes it easy to clean up because he knows exactly where it's going - although that doesn't always happen... we're still working on that. Right? So you do it little by little. This morning he said, "You know what, I don't want the PJ masks toys anymore." Then we can put them aside and it's really easy because it's all in a bag. So whether you want to donate it or whether you want to pass it on to somebody who appreciates those toys more than your child is now, it's just easy to hand over the baggy. I hope this helps and best wishes in preparation for the holiday season.

00:03:29
So having the system of the baggies is wonderful, not only for clean up purposes and even for playtime purposes to make that easier and more fun, but also the fact that my son is able to identify which toys he doesn't play with a lot anymore and then be able to donate them and pay it forward to someone else. That is what we want to instill in our children from a very young age so that they have a giving heart as they continue to grow. So I hope this helped. If you think that this could help a parent or caregiver friend, be sure to share this video with them and subscribe to my podcast so that you don't miss the next one. If you have any questions for the Consult a Counselor Series, you can always email me at hello@freetobemindful.com or DM me on Instagram @counselorvdejesus. And remember in a world where you are free to be anything that you want to be, you are always free to be mindful. Thanks so much and catch you next time!