I SOLD ALL OF MY KIDS' YOTO PLAYERS

 I sold all of my kids' Yoto players.

For a LONG time before I bought them, I researched them over and over.  My first thought was always "This seems way too complicated."  Eventually, I convinced myself I must be overthinking it...so I bought them. 

For the next few years, I tried to make them work.  But I never could.  Not because they're a bad product and not because my kids didn't enjoy them.  I sold them because I couldn't keep up with them. 

...charging the players, keeping up with all of the cards, making new cards, learning MP3 files, keeping track of it all.  It didn't make my life better, easier, or more joyful...anytime I had to deal with them all I felt was dread and guilt.

About a year ago, I bought each of my older kids as CD player for their bedroom and a portable CD player for in the car.  The little ones are getting a CD player in the school room.

We gave them Nathan's and my old CDs, started checking out audiobooks from the library, and they've slowly started collecting their favorite soundtracks, Adventures in Odyssey, and Patch the Pirate CDs, etc.  One of their favorite things now is digging through the CD section at Goodwill to see what treasures they can find. 

This isn't an anti-Yoto post.  I actually think Yoto is a wonderful company with a great concept.  

This is a post about permission. 

Permission to let go of things that aren't serving your family.  Permission to stop forcing something just because everyone else seems to love it.  Permission to do things differently.  

For me as the mother...things need to be simple.  Things need to be uncomplicated.  They need to be easy to manage.  If something feels like one more things I have to keep up with, eventually I won't keep up with it.  

Since coming home from the hospital after my miscarriage in June, I've been ruthlessly decluttering our home.  Not because these things are bad.  But because I've been asking myself the same questions over and over...

Does this make my life easier?  Does this bring me joy?  Or do I feel a sense of dread every time I have to deal with it?

If it doesn't bring me joy...if it's not easy to manage...if I don't need it in this season and won't need it again anytime soon...I've been letting it go.

And honestly...that has been incredibly freeing.