Storage Bins – Treasure Tubs

I have three sisters and between the four of us we have 11 children. That’s right 11. And they are all aged 8 and under.

I know what you are thinking, “Do they keep the kids in the tubs?”

No. We keep their clothes in the tubs. ALL their outgrown-of, “I’m not wearing that,”  and too-big-for-now clothes, for every season and occasion, we keep them in tubs. Lots and lots of tubs.

I spent four hours this past weekend separating the clothes from my kids’ dresser drawers. It involved pulling out things that are too small, things that are for the wrong season, and things that I have NO EARTHLY IDEA where they came from and then sorting them into storage tubs and clearly labeling the tub.

My sisters and I have perfected the art of tub swapping. We know every time we get together some body is getting the next tub of needed clothes. Babies grow FAST and they go through clothes faster.

We like to think we are being thrifty with our storage tub system and keeping our kids happily and comfortably dressed, but as I carried the 6th tub to the basement, I felt a huge wave of guilt. Guilt that we have so much and there are many with so little.

My children and my nieces and nephews do not know what it is to go hungry or be cold or scared of where their next meal come from. We are blessed. I always to try to be grateful for our many possessions and opportunities. In the last year, we have started to give away some of the clothes and shoes and have sold some at rummage sales.

We know that we are ending the decade of diapers and moving onto the age of adolescence. With this understanding our focus on maintaining those tubs of treasures has shifted to remembering what we did with our kids while they wear those clothes. The experiences we had while our kiddos were donning those dresses and jumpers are ones that we do not want to forget.

Each time I see a nephew or niece in an outfit that my kids wore, it makes me happy and sad at the same time. I love that someone else is enjoying them but I miss the days when my kiddos were small enough to wear them. I know that our days of keeping tubs of clothes to swap are numbered. I also know how lucky I am that I was able to see my kids grow into and out of those clothes.

With our storage bins, we have preserved treasures that go beyond jeans, dresses, shorts, and jammies. We have found a way to share and care for our children and have started to pass on those blessings to new little ones in our lives.

My hope is that all who read our story of storage will find a way to appreciate what they have and maybe consider sharing their treasures with others.

Put your energy into appreciating what you have and sharing it with others and your purpose will have nothing but a positive impact on those you encounter.

By: Melanie A. Peters