A Business Week article said Americans spend over $300 per year on toys. It’s a $21 billion industry. In fact, the article said the trend of giving toys for no special reason has created such a glut of toys that parents now feel they have to give a ton of toys at Christmas just to make it seem special.
But does giving a child more toys make them happier? Does having excessive toys build character in them? Does giving them all the toys they want make them love you more? Will owning more toys help them to love God with all their heart?
Don’t misunderstand me. Toys have their place. But excessive toys consume not only the child’s time, but also the parents time in picking them up or making the children pick them up, purchasing, repairing, and purging the toy supply.
With some things, fewer is better. Cutting out excess toys will help you and your children better redeem the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
