Tame Those Toys Thursday – Can You Be Too Organized?

For my Tame Those Toys Thursday, which is all about helping your kids stay organized and having an organized family, I would like to refer you to a super article that I read a couple of days ago.

It’s written by Lorie Marrero, who is a professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Diet. Her article is entitled Can You Be TOO Organized? Read this entry on her blog and then she will send you over to Lifehack.org where she is a weekly contributor. That’s where you will find her article.

 The reason why I am highlighting this article for today is that I think there is a fine line between being organized and being just downright too organized. I have 3 kids and so as I have said before, my house does not look magazine ready. There are times when fun should come before clean and a time where letting your kids feel that they have a part in keeping the household going, should come before extremely neatly folded towels.

If I lived by myself, my linen closet would be scarily perfect looking. My pantry? All clear containers that match and are filled with pretzels, cereal and chips. Sounds boring doesn’t it? But I would choose a linen closet with towels that are folded 5 different ways, over that perfect one anyday! My 3 year old loves to fold, er, wad up towels and then put them away. But I have to remind myself time and time again that he is having fun and it makes him feel good about himself.

I tend to steer towards the perfection route way too often and have ended up hurting my kids, or husband’s feelings. So yes, I agree that you can be too organized. What do I want my kids to remember about their childhood – floors they could eat off of? How do I want them to raise a family someday – with strict rules where their kids feel like they can’t touch anything or where they feel they can never add up? No. Not at all.

I want them to have a childhood where they know without any uncertainty, that mom loves them and that they are way more important than any organizing tip I could give. There is a balance between too organized and too messy. It’s just really hard to find it sometimes. We are all a daily work in progress aren’t we?.

Enjoy her article!