Dealing with the "Stuff"

My husband and I have an on-going debate about the amount of stuff in our house. I like to get the "stuff" out of the house. He likes to bring it in. In all fairness, my husband is not a shop-a-holic and I am not ruthless in my removal of what I feel is excess. His office is his own. He also has a corner of our bedroom which serves as his clothespile. I truly feel that life is too short to get into fights over such trivial matters.

I have tried to implement rules such as "If you bring a new item into the house, you need to get rid of one item." But his response has been that "That is your rule, not mine!" And life goes on.

In our communal spaces, however, I do try to manage the amount of stuff that we own. Having children doesn't help this venture. The toys seem to multiply by themselves. In addition, they make an astounding number of crafts that they become extremely attached to and refuse to allow me to throw away.

And so, I continue to struggle with "dealing with the stuff." I try to keep the amount of things I personally own to a minimum. At least twice a year, I weed the children's toys when they are sleeping, removing items that they haven't played with in ages and hopefully won't notice that they are gone. I give away the clothes that they have outgrown on a regular basis.

Even as I continue the battle, I try to remind myself that I am lucky to have all these items in my life. I would much rather have my husband and deal with the clothespile than have a pristine bedroom and live without him. The day will come when my children will no longer play with toys and I will miss their childhood. The battle is important. There is a need to manage the mess, but the people who share my life matter more. It's all a matter of keeping it all in perspective.