decluttering

About this time every year, I start working with Nick on cullling his possessions, to make room for the new stuff he'll be getting for his birthday. Historically, this has not gone well; he'd refuse to give up anything and I would eventually resort to removing stuff behind his back. But this year is different. He's cooperating! He's thinking carefully about what items he uses, and parting with the rest! I'm doing some things differently this year. We're taking it slow, sorting through a few possessions at a time and stopping for the day when he gives up an item or group of items. I've also been emphasizing that a lot of this will be saved for Zoe when she's old enough to play with them; that seems to help him let go. But to give credit where credit is due, Nick has grown up a lot this year. I would not be getting this level of cooperation, no matter what tricks and techniques I tried, if Nick wasn't ready to let go.