The Minimalist Lifestyle When You Have Kids
The minimalist movement has been gaining popularity for many years now; it has a lot of followers but also a lot of people who don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m pretty neutral when it comes to my opinions, I don’t think I could ever live the minimalist lifestyle like some people do. But I don’t disagree with a lot of their points either.
But one thing that’s always popped into my mind, as a mother, is how in the world can you pull off living the minimalist lifestyle when you have kids. It can’t be easy, but does that mean it’s impossible?
Today we’re going to be exploring the relationship between the minimalist lifestyle and children. Pros and cons, tips to pull it off, etc.
Benefits Of Minimalism For Kids
As parents, it’s our priority to provide our children with good experiences and life lessons. So ideally, if we adopt a lifestyle that will affect them; we want it to be something that will provide them with benefits as well. And many people believe that the minimalist fits that bill.
Through my reading, I saw many minimalist parents were sharing valuable lessons that their kids learned through the lifestyle. Such as…
Learning to think through purchases before you make them. Because the minimalist lifestyle hinges on having as little material possessions as possible; in order for a minimalist to make a purchase, the item has to meet certain criteria. Kids will learn to only buy things that will benefit them.
Realizing that happiness isn’t related to how many things you have. Kids can be materialistic sometimes; they always want the new, popular toy; or the special backpack that all the kids are carrying (when my kids were growing up, they went through stages where they collected Num Noms, were crazy about Monster High dolls, and thought their life was ending if their Barbie dolls didn’t have enough clothes). But starting the minimalist lifestyle early could nip these tendencies in the bud, and show them that they don’t need certain objects to be happy.
And figuring out ways to manage clutter. Clutter is the bane of many adult’s existence, so how special would it have been to learn to manage it and stay organized as kids? Through the minimalist lifestyle, kids could learn that important skill early.
But of course, as with anything in life, the minimalist lifestyle also comes with some challenges.
Is It More Difficult To Be A Minimalist With Kids?
The answer is absolutely! Whenever you’re factoring in another person’s feelings and personality, it’s harder to make a decision like converting to minimalism. Whether that be your kids, a spouse, or even a roommate. This means that although having kids and being a minimalist might be more challenging, it’s not an impossible task.
But having said that, having children and being a minimalist could come with the following hurdles…
Making the initial transition is going to be harder. If your kids haven’t been minimalists their whole lives and you’re transitioning after they’re old enough to realize what’s happening, then it might be challenging at first. They might have reservations and be unhappy about the change.
There may be more judgment from others. People who aren’t fans of the minimalist lifestyle already share their opinions on a regular basis, and not always in the nicest of ways. But when there are kids involved, it might magnify the problem. And other kids might not understand your kiddo’s new lifestyle either.
And you might wonder if you’re making the right decision. Making choices that involve kids often has the ability to make you insecure as a parent, and while you may not have this issue, some parents might second guess themselves and wonder if the decision to go minimalist wasn’t the best for their kids.
What Are Some Ways To Make Living The Minimalist Lifestyle Easier With Kids?
Like I said, regardless of the obstacles, being a minimalist and having kids isn’t impossible. So if after weighing the pros and cons, you decide that you’d like to take on this challenge then there are some things you can do to make it easier on yourself and your little ones.
Here are some of the tips I noticed online…
First of all, stay patient throughout the process. Depending on the age of your kids, you could be met with more resistance than you’d like. But remember that they’re kids and try to think about how you’d feel in their situation. You’ll get there and so will they, but it might take more time than you expect.
You could also consider going through your items first. It might be a lot harder for kids to face getting rid of some of their things than it would be for you. So by decluttering your items first, it shows them that it’s not so bad. Lead by example!
And when it comes time to declutter your kid’s items, always start with items your kids don’t use. Your decluttering might start and end with only items that your children don’t use on a regular basis, depending on how far into the minimalist lifestyle you’re going. Make sure to include your kids in this process, it’s important for them to feel included and to give their input about which items are most important to them. Otherwise they wont’ have any closure about the loss of their things.
Finally, make sure to reward them. Reinforcing good behavior is basically parenting 101 to a lot of
us, so remember to reward your kids and remind them that being a minimalist comes with benefits. Try to make the transition as fun for them as possible, and it’ll go a long way.
If you are already living a minimalist lifestyle please share your story with us in the comments below. I know I would love to hear all about it.
