My Dearest Readers!
The first time I came across minimalism and decluttering was about a decade ago when I was still unmarried. Needless to say, at that moment I was completely taken up by the movement. Over time I devoured books and content by leading names such as Joshua Becker and Marie Kondo. I was especially inspired by the Kon Mari method which seemed to me the epitome of cleanliness and the answer to all of my decluttering problems.
Yet time, marriage and motherhood has greatly changed my perspective and while I still like to declutter my possessions from time to time, I have often found myself in direct opposition to the minimalist movement. For one, I have discovered that one cannot remain an extreme minimalist if one wishes to raise happy and healthy children who are not obsessed with screen time. And while owning too many toys is counter productive and outdoors play is highly important, one cannot expect to own nothing and expect your children to spend a significant amount of time in independent or imaginative play. Especially when your living situation does not leave much space for outdoor play.
I have also unfortunately discovered that the minimalist and decluttering movements seem to inspire an extreme devotion that borders on cultish. That is, the amount of possessions you own have become a symbol of morality; meaning, the more you own, the more depraved and degenerate you are. For someone who loves collecting books and has also amassed a well used collection of children’s books and educational material for my daughter, I have often found myself in direct opposition to relatives and loved ones who see these collections as evidence of excess and low self control.
However, the fact is that children require a certain amount of stimulation and if one one wishes to raise curious and happy children, one must own a certain amount of material to encourage said curiosity and exploration. And while it is true that the other extreme does exist with people hoarding more than they will ever use, I believe that one should be allowed the space to own what they can comfortably live with and enjoy without it becoming a point of judgement at family gatherings.
Yours!
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