When getting rid of things get complicated............ [Archive]

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CathyA

10-15-12, 2:55pm

I think I'm finally ready to get rid of my 23 year old son's Little Tyke's railway and mountain. But its HUGE. I'm totally embarrassed that I bought so many add-ons for this. I don't want to go through the trouble of finding someone to buy it. If I take it to my local Caring Center, I'm sure it won't be kept together. The only women and child's shelter to too far away (to donate it).
I'm driving myself nuts trying to find the perfect home for it. I might call the Caring Center and ask if there are any local needy families with small children that would like this.
Isn't this crazy? Yes, I'm finally getting rid of some stuff I just couldn't part with for so long................but now I have to find the perfect home for them. Its not easy being so neurotic! :~)
Any suggestions that I haven't thought of yet?
I'm really ashamed at how much I bought my kids when they were little. There are so many parts to this toy, people might not even have a room big enough for all the tracks and highway!

bae

10-15-12, 3:00pm

Deep breath. Let it go. It's just an object, move on.

mtnlaurel

10-15-12, 3:10pm

You could stalk the next Thomas the Train event in your town (?) :)

I understand where you are coming from.
We had a dear next door neighbor that gave my son the FisherPrice Cash Register that her almost adult grandchildren had played with..... it was as if she was looking for just the right little guy or gal that would love it.
I could tell that the toy held a lot of special memories for her.... and we have cherished it.

- What about upcoming Angel Tree's for christmas gifts for needy children.... I know those trees are for new gifts, but maybe the organization might know of a good home for it.
- Do CraigsList postings do well in your area? --- you could post it as 'Free with the Price of Absolute Care'

Do you have a photo of your son with the toy that you can pull out?
You know he loved that toy and it has served its' purpose... maybe having a pix will help you to let go of the object ?????

Ultimately Bae is right...

Miss Cellane

10-15-12, 3:15pm

Cathy, if there are so many pieces that the average family might not have a room big enough for the complete set, I think you have a couple of choices.

1) Donate to the Caring Center. They may divide the set into 2 or 3 smaller sets, to be used by different classes. This means that more kids get to have fun with it. Is that a bad thing?

2) Donate to Salvation Army or Goodwill. They will probably break the set up into many smaller sets. The smaller sets would be more affordable for families with limited incomes, providing more fun toys for more kids. Is that a bad thing?

3) Find one family and give them the set. If the set has as many pieces as you say, they may keep some and give/sell some.

4) Find a church with a daycare and give them the set.

5) Make the time to drive to the children's shelter and donate it, if that is what you feel the perfect home for it would be.

6) Find a church or other non-profit or charitable organization that has tag sales and give it to them. Let someone else find a good buyer for it, and aid a good cause at the same time.

Finding the "perfect" new home for this toy will take a lot of time and energy. Perhaps consider finding a "good enough" home for it. Also, think about why keeping it together is so important to you. Once it is out of your hands, why does it worry you about what happens to it? Almost sounds to me as if you aren't quite ready to let it go yet.

CathyA

10-15-12, 3:23pm

True.........I know as soon as its out of the house, I'm fine! I'll definitely take a picture of it first. That's my way of "keeping it", even though I'm sending it on.
Seems like my kids and my extended family aren't into having lots of kids/grandkids early............so I'm finding that all these toys I kept for that purpose, are just taking up space and crowding me.

mtnlaurel.......my kids loved that cash register too! I think its still in the closet.
LOL about the Thomas the Train thing. We have pics of our kids with Harlow Higgenlooper, who came to town with Thomas the Tank Engine.
We have pictures of the kids with Schemer from Shining Time Station, and also pics with Loonette and Molly from The Big Comfy Couch. haha
Loved PBS!

CathyA

10-15-12, 3:25pm

Thanks Miss Cellane! You're right......I'll forget about it once its out of the house.......so I shouldn't waste too much energy on it. I appreciate your taking all that time to write down those choices! :)

CathyA

10-15-12, 3:26pm

I might add........DH was more excited about meeting Schemer than the kids were!! >8)

Jilly

10-15-12, 5:31pm

...Its not easy being so neurotic! :~)

:D

BayouGirl

10-15-12, 5:58pm

To this day, I still have my son's wooden train set. I would never part with it unless it is to give it back to him when he has kids. He is now 21!! He was a Thomas the Train fan back in the early 90's before all that they have now. So it took a lot of time and money to make up this large collection But because it is the wood track and trains with magnet couplings it is timeless. I never needs batteries or goes out of style. I have had grownups come and end up playing with the kids with it.

I keep it all in a large plastic tote so when the grandkids or other kids come by, they have something to do while their parents visit. It is a blessing to have. It keeps kids busy for hours.

I also had a huge tote of my son's lego pieces. Just a huge tub of them. I spent so much money on them. But they are priceless toys because they never go out of style. Even adults love them. So I kept them all these years and when my son came to visit our new house and saw that I had them (they had been in storage for years) he was thrilled. He and his girlfriend spent the weekend playing with it and he took it when he left, lol!

I hope you find a good home for the set because it sounds like something that is special.

artist

10-15-12, 6:08pm

Any MOPS groups in your area? or Playgroups that could use it. Ours went to a local playgroup that is still going strong 15 years later.

Valley

10-15-12, 8:39pm

CathyA

10-15-12, 9:02pm

I'm keeping the important things. Trust me, I still have LOTS! My son didn't even play with this that much. He preferred his matchbox cars, dinosaurs, legos, pretend food and kitchen.
I guess the reason I hesitate to get rid of this is that its made so well. I have a huge closet full of their old toys and games. I just HAVE to thin it out.
Funny story.........around Christmas one year I had a nativity scene up. I found him playing with it and his dinosaurs together. haha The wise men had a terrified look on their faces, when they saw the T-Rex.

mtnlaurel

10-15-12, 9:31pm

Funny story.........around Christmas one year I had a nativity scene up. I found him playing with it and his dinosaurs together. haha The wise men had a terrified look on their faces, when they saw the T-Rex.

You will appreciate this CathyA... here is how my daughter reconfigured our nativity last christmas.....
I didn't have the heart to put away the barn after the holiday and she's been playing with it all year :)
1019

I didn't know how to resize, click on the pix and I think it will get bigger.

CathyA

10-15-12, 10:11pm

LOL mtnlaurel.........that is so cute! Your daughter and my son would have had a great time together! hahaha

Wildflower

10-15-12, 11:09pm

I kept some of my DDs' 'special toys' for my grandkids. They have been really thrilled with them!

Wildflower

10-15-12, 11:17pm

I directed 2 large children's centers for 18 years, and we loved donations such as this train. Make a few calls to your local church/nonprofit centers and believe me, you will make some people very happy!

I have heard of alot of quality donated toys getting tossed these days by the recepients because they are not up to the latest standard of toy safety requirements.

I also read somewhere that pretty soon you won't even be able to sell old toys legally in garage sales.

Again, I'm keeping the good stuff for my grandkids, and their kids if they hang onto it that long.... :) These toys should never wind up in the trash.

pony mom

10-16-12, 12:18am

You will appreciate this CathyA... here is how my daughter reconfigured our nativity last christmas.....
I didn't have the heart to put away the barn after the holiday and she's been playing with it all year :)
1019

I didn't know how to resize, click on the pix and I think it will get bigger.

LOL! Mary probably could have used a changing table, and the three wise men must have needed a shower after crossing the desert.

Do you have Freecycle in your area? You could post it there, explaining how you would like someone to love it and take care of it. Someone local may want it, and you'll get to meet the person when they pick it up.

Tussiemussies

10-16-12, 12:23am