Hi All! Just wanted to say a few words about toys, safety, and encouraging your kids to put their stuff away.
It can be difficult at times to get the kids to clean up, and sometimes it is easier to just do it yourself. But what about when you are exhausted? How will you handle it? The temptation is just to leave it and do it tomorrow. But if we don’t train our children to tidy up after themselves, there can be unintended consequences.
I read an article, not long ago, about a frum woman who fell down a flight of steps, and she literally broke her back, because one of her children had left something on the steps. And she was not old, but a middle-aged busy mother. It is not uncommon to hear of elderly people breaking hips due to a fall, and one of my children broke a bone when he fell the wrong way on his hand.
It not only looks better when the toys have been put away, it is really safer for everyone. I know that I also have a ways to go in this area, so I am not “mussar”ing everyone out there, but kind of “talking aloud” and letting everyone else “hear”, too.