He Says Collecting, I Say Hoarding

Our five-year-old son loves stuff.  Talking with friends, having two older kids, and remembering my own childhood quirks, I know it's not uncommon for children to keep trash and trinkets.  Forever.

This child, the five-year-old, knows where every broken plastic toy, shred of ribbon, deflated balloon, popsicle stick with a joke he can't read, and object stolen from his older brothers, is located.  When I stealthily purge a few of his items, no matter how deeply buried they were beneath the latest additions, he busts me.  And hell hath no fury like... you know what I mean.

"Mom! Did you throw away part of my collection?"

"Honey, I donated a few things you don't play with.  There are children without toys who would enjoy that... stuff."

Recently, I thought to myself how well our youngest son has been maintaining his room.  Other than a few dozen lego creations displayed on his dresser, things appeared to be in order

The five-year-old has a bathroom attached to his bedroom that is basically unused.  He bathes in the master bathroom, brushes his teeth in his brothers' bathroom and doesn't require much lavatory drawer space regardless.

While putting laundry away, I was tipped-off that there might still be a problem when I opened his closet.  Balloons from his father's birthday that he claimed to have released to China!

I entered his bathroom, pulled back the shower curtain and found this:

Then I opened a couple of drawers and discovered my little hoarder is still struggling...

And, yes, I recognize we all have a junk drawer, but come on.

I'm both sad, that he's going underground... and proud.  I enjoy a worthy adversary.  I'm also impressed by his use of semantics.

Anyone else have a young, or not-so-young, "collector" in the house?

Comments

[Pam Dahlkamp]

hehehe.... When Michael was about five, he used to collect dryer sheets. I'd find them in his drawer like sachets. And his favorite thing to pick up on the beach (with a mortified friend of my mom's) were plastic tampon inserters that had washed up (we rarely find these any more). I'd quickly disappear these. Redmondo would know it in a heartbeat! haha! xo

[V-Grrrl @ Compost Studios]

The balloons so made me laugh. I admire that he puts his collections away. My daughter's stuff is never contained in the myriad of organizational and storage containers we have in this house. It resides on every flat surface in every room of the house...My son is the relatively tidy one.

[Gabriela (Gabi with an Eye)]

Oh my little Minime is definitely a collector and is as well organized as your 5-year old appears to be. I even called her over to the computer so she could see your photos. She too, hangs on to dying balloons in her closet and sometimes they become her playmates and even puts them to bed and tucks them in (tucks the ribbon part in). I have pictures and can prove it.

I once threw away a 2" length of red thread I'd found on her nightstand next to some tiny plastic kitties. She reproached me in panic about the kitty's missing scarf. I couldn't for the life of me recall ever disposing of a kitty's scarf, until she explained that it was red and had been sitting next to one of said plastic kitties. Chris, it was a piece of thread. You know, as in having come from a spool of thread or in this case, from an article of clothing that must have been made overseas and the extra thread had been hanging from the article of clothing. Yup, she saved that tiny piece of thread and wrapped it around the kitties' necks and shoulders. Well, that is until the evil mother came by, picked it up, and threw it away.

[Captain Dumbass]

Oh yes, because it's important to bring home sticks of all shapes and sizes. You never know when you might need one.

[christy]

Oh this made me giggle so hard! My kids are too young, but I bet they'll be collectors too one day.

[Connie Weiss]

Is this a boy thing....because my boy has quite the collection of...stuff.

And sticks. Everytime we got for a walk, he brings home a stick and sets it next to the front door. It's a little too Blair Witch for me.

[Michael]

Rocks. They collect rocks. Gravel really. It weighs down their pockets some days. McDonalds toys. Oh God the useless, unused shit that fills every nook and cranny!

But it's theirs. I've got mine to, but it's mostly digital these days. Music is my poison.

[Ladyfi.wordpress.com]

Hilarious - what a great hoarder he is! Just like my hubby...

[vodkamom]

I would love to comment, but I am off to clean my JUNK DRAWERS.



(Perhaps he's MY son.)

[rebecca petridis]

You are so not alone in this....Milena is a borderline hoarder as well. I think it must be the age (let's hope). I have baskets and drawers full of rocks, deflated balloon animals, ribbon, feathers, coins, broken seashells, various toys and trinkets as well as every party favor she has ever acquired over the years. We also have a "pet" slug that resides in a small jelly jar in her room (NOT my idea)! Amazingly, for all the piles of things (or crap) that they try to store in every imaginable location, they have an incredible ability to inventory and account for every single item - so woe be to you if you happen to "accidently" throw anything away! I'm feelin' ya, sister!

[slouchy]

Hah! I love him!

All three of the boyz in my family are hoarders. I continue to fight a losing battle.

[The Muskrat]

I hate clutter and pack ratting. This would freak me out.