Whether my kids like it or not, the last few days have been all about cleaning and organizing. Not a fun way to start the summer break, but definitely needed. I've been tackling the kids' bedrooms with a fervor, and it's forced them to be willing to let go of toys and other "treasures."
For my younger children, it's been fairly easy to separate out toys that they've outgrown, because they have plenty of other toys to take their places. It's been easy to say that some toys are for babies or toddlers, and they even have a few younger children in mind that they hope will accept some hand-me-downs.
But when it comes to my almost twelve year old son, this purging represents something else altogether. As we take out old toys from his closet, they're not getting replaced with new toys. Old Star Wars Halloween costumes will no longer be donned to engage in battles with imagined troopers in the wooded area around the house. The small knights and dragons figures won't dot the bedroom floor again. I won't be called upon again to help transform Bumblebee into his car form.
When I think back to my twelve year old life, I remember going over to my best friend's house to play Barbies. But I also remember drooling over George Michael music videos at her house, as well, so it's clear that I too have walked this line between childhood and adolescence. I remember it being confusing and odd, feeling like a kid one day and wanting to be treated like a grown up the next. I remember wanting to hold on to my Cabbage Patch doll because I felt like I couldn't not have it, but I didn't want any of my friends to know that I still had a baby doll in my room, either.
I know this must be challenging for my son, too, so I'll try to go easy on him as we continue the big purge. Maybe I'll help him find a special place in his closet for the Star Wars figures that I imagine he won't be quite ready to part with just yet.
