My husband has recently gotten on the minimalism bandwagon, and because I try to be a supportive spouse, I am learning with him. I am not a fan of the whole thing because it is forcing me to get rid of things that I have accumulated, but what I will say is that it has made me a better SLP mom. Why?? Here are some things I have learned during this process.
We got rid of the TV downstairs (it is hidden upstairs, so not completely gone yet)! Agh…I know, it is my sanity-saving grace some evenings and mornings with my two boys. However, it has forced us as a family to do more things together. As an SLP, I know I am supposed to promote reading, pretend play, etc., however, sometimes after a long day, I am exhausted and just want to veg. Without the TV, my crutch is gone. My boys and I are reading more, pretending more, and getting more inventive with our time.
We have also gotten rid of a lot of their toys. Thanks to our wonderful family, our boys have more than enough of their fair share of toys. We have gotten down to a happy medium with the number of toys they have, and what we are noticing is that their play is more intentional. They are not so overwhelmed by “what should I play with” but now go to their favorites with less intervention from us. Their imagination is also flourishing. It’s a tried and true experience for some, but I think we have forgotten as a society how cool an empty box can be.
So, for now, I will go along with the minimalism, but I am not sure how I can handle it if the conversations turn to my shoes:) I don’t think I can justify a language increase with less shoes:)
As always, your dedicated SLP,
Dayna Sanders, MA, CCC-SLP
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