Toy purging with my pack rat

Today after doing school I had a great idea. Instead of playing the afternoon away. My daughter and I while her brother and lil sister slept decided to clean her room. She shares it with her brother so her half room, well lets be real her 3/4 room, Caleb has a very defined corner! Please understand that my little pack rat also goes by the name of Khloe and has a REALLY hard time letting go of everything!! I mean really hard! She is an emotional little girl, slightly dramatic and extremely sentimental, I am afraid I may be slightly responsible for some of her attributes.

Ok, ok, yes one of my favorite songs is "If these Walls Could Speak" and I think of it and hum to myself when ever we are getting ready to move to yet another residence always with a tear in my eye or already on my cheek. I have never been good at good bye. Where my little pack rat and I differ is STUFF! I have NO problem getting rid of stuff, I rather enjoy it! De-cluttering my Dad would call it. I, when talking about Khloe call it purging because for her it is not just getting rid of stuff it is emotional, a learning to let go, a dealing with feelings and putting them aside knowing the end result will be better than the current struggle and when it's all over the pain of letting go will have been worth it... a purging!

I think she feels out of control and its her stuff, rightfully so. I look at it as a receipt for food or a marker cap. She sees possibility and potential! She is only 6 and these things seem so petty but I have to remind myself she really does not have control over much right now in her life, except for her stuff and even some times then she still doesn't. I thought about all of this before beginning the cleaning out process. I had already decided for the most part what was going to go and what was going to stay but in the end she would give the thumbs up or down.

We went into her room and started with the closet. I held up a few items, broken pieces of what ever that she was holding onto. At first she was reluctant to let anything go. I would hold up things and say keep or pitch. Mommy whats "pitch" oh throw away ( so cute). She would say keep or pitch. Pretty soon once she knew she was in control, I started getting a lot more pitches, yay, breakthrough she was letting go. Before I knew it we had a garbage bag full of stuff she was not just willing to let go but ok with letting go.

I think we taught each other something to day, a life lesson that through out our relationship as mother and daughter will be very important. I am her guide. Like a shepherd with sheep the Bible illustrates our Father God to us. We guide them, show them where to go, keep them from danger as best we can, tell them what to do and how to do it, walk beside, behind and in front depending on what is happening around them at the time. So when it comes time to let go we can be confident in what they have been taught and their ability to recognize what needs kept and what needs pitched. We grew a little today, she trusted me a little more and I learned to trust her a little more. Thank you God for blessing me with a little life lesson. May I always have a heart to receive.