Clutter around the house is a sign of an active toddler. Oh boy, how active is my own.
Minutes before this picture was taken, he was drawing on his sketch pad. Then he was drawing on his chair. Before I knew it, he had abandoned most of his crayons on the floor and started sticking a few of them in a ball of Play Dough. Somehow he discovered that Play Dough is more attractive with colorful crayons sticking out of it.
He later ran to another corner of the room and scattered his letters and balls. “Buh! Buh!,” he would exclaim as he spotted the letter B in the mess. “Yee! Yee!,” he would say when he saw the letter Y. He turned his back on the letters again, running back to his crayons. This time the window was the canvas for his creativity.
Clutter? I’m not that uptight about it anymore. Crayons on chairs and walls? I still get a little bit worried but not so much. You can always wipe it off with soap and water anyway. If not, well, there goes your remembrance of artwork from when your kid was two years old. Crawling around the floor with his toys? Ah, let him be. He can always wash up in the bathroom later.
I’ve tried organizing clutter but most days, I just let him be. We try cleaning up the mess together afterwards. It’s not always a success but we’re getting there. The only time I draw the line with clutter is when it gets in safety’s way.
One thing I like about kiddie clutter is that I know the cogs in his mind are going round and round. The toddler enjoys fiddling with this and that, reading in this corner, drawing in that corner.
So yup, right now, I just try to keep calm and let him clutter. We can always pick up later anyway. But while he’s on play mode and creativity mode, I say, clutter away!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
Ma. Teresa Grech Q. Racal
March 5, 2012 at 2:26 pm (12 years ago)hahaha! so true…kaya nga every time I see all the clutter made by my Amaya, haaay i let her be na. hahaha! kasi after a while mgkakalat ulit so yaan na. pero if i sense that she is really finished playing i teach her how to keep her toys. but in the end, ako pa din ang mag-keep. hahaha!
Ma. Teresa Grech Q. Racal´s last blog post ..Happy to Blog…Again
Cham Cuartero
March 5, 2012 at 2:28 pm (12 years ago)As they say, we can always clean up all the clutter but we can never bring back their happy, carefree childhood, or anyone else’s for that matter.
Now I wish I can say the same thing for my husband and my cat, who take turns messing up the house everyday. LOL
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Mom-Friday
March 5, 2012 at 6:50 pm (12 years ago)I also learned to let go of being o.c. when it comes to the “age-appropriate” kiddie clutter, hehehe…this is still cute.
But now that they are bigger, they know the rules and they should clean up their own mess! ;)))
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Rachel
March 5, 2012 at 10:01 pm (12 years ago)That kind of clutter warms the heart because you know there’s a sweet child behind all that. It’s great that you give him a lot of space and freedom to play and enhance his creativity.
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how to draw graffiti letters step by step
March 7, 2012 at 10:58 am (12 years ago)Kids really love playing. Before you are going to buy a toy for your kid, make sure that it safe to use and safe from any chemicals that may harm your baby’s health.
Renz
March 8, 2012 at 9:28 am (12 years ago)I’ve long since mastered the art of keeping calm when my daughter makes every room in the house her playground. She’ll get tired from it all
but what I also learned is to make her responsible by making her help out in cleaning up her mess. Now that she’s 4, she can clean up after herself. And I noticed that she kept her toys in one place rather than going from one room to another.
Ruth
March 13, 2012 at 2:48 pm (12 years ago)Hi! I’m hopping over from Dainty Mom’s blog
When I read this post, I can’t help but smile. My 2 yr-old boy is exactly like that! He would play with something for a few minutes and then move on to another.. then another… and leave a trail of mess around the house afterward. I was still wondering if because he’s lacking in focus, so it’s really just a toddler behaviour after all!
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Louis Vuitton Purses
May 23, 2012 at 5:37 pm (12 years ago)This backpack is very nice, quality is also very good, I like, I buy it!