Mom Called 'Horrible' For Throwing Some Of Her Kids' Toys Away While They Sleep Because Her Playroom Is A 'Disaster'
Is she being horrible or is she being a normal mom who's trying to manage her kids' mess?
TikTok A parent from West Virginia posted a video of herself on TikTok doing something other parents might find controversial, but which she deemed necessary. Alissa Dee’s TikTok bio reads, “Sometimes funny, always relatable,” but when she posted herself cleaning up her kids’ playroom, she didn't get the reaction she had hoped for.
The clean-up video features Alissa holding an armful of toys, including some stuffed animals and what appears to be a hockey stick. In her post, she explained that she throws away her kids’ toys while they sleep. Her justification for throwing away toys? “I know they will never notice.”
The mom-of-three was called ‘horrible’ for throwing her sleeping kids’ toys away without their consent.
But Alissa had an explanation for her actions — she wasn’t trying to be a cruel parent. She was just trying to clean up.
“The mess is killing me, our playroom is a disaster,” she explained in her caption.
While there’s value in decreasing the number of toys a child owns, especially if the toys in question are ones they no longer use, it’s important to note that Alissa could have donated those toys to children who lack resources, as opposed to throwing them away, where they’ll end up in a landfill, decomposing.
Managing the clutter that having multiple children creates is a relatable parenting struggle, and Alissa chose to handle the mess in her own unique way.
Alissa threw away her kids' toys to clean up their playroom, hoping they wouldn't notice.
She gave her post a soundtrack, using the song “Naughty” from Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, and lip-synched along to the line, “Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.”
Alissa asked the parents of TikTok to weigh in, writing in her caption, “other moms, comment if you have done this so I don’t feel as guilty!”
“Thank goodness for my neighbor’s trash incinerator,” commented one mom. But others weren’t as supportive or understanding.
“Horrible thing to do to a child,” said someone else. “A child’s toys mean a lot to them.”
Toys do hold a lot of meaning for children, as play is a vital part of a child’s development.
As noted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, “play is not just about having fun but about taking risks, experimenting, and testing boundaries.”
Children need time and resources to play, as doing so helps support physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Play is also a way for children to create nurturing and stable relationships, and it contributes to their mental health. Play empowers children, offering them a chance to be agents of their own created worlds.
According to a 2018 research paper titled “The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children,” when play doesn’t exist in a child’s life, “toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behavior; in the presence of childhood adversity, play becomes even more important.”
“Play is not frivolous,” the paper claims. “It enhances brain structure and function and promotes executive function.”
Alissa doesn’t appear to be discouraging her kids from playing. She’s just trying to maintain some sense of order in her house and clean out the playroom. To call her “horrible” for doing so seems slightly extreme.
There are also tangible developmental benefits for kids who own fewer toys. Psychology Today explains that “having fewer toys can lead a young child to focus and engage in more creative, imaginative play.”
Imaginative play is essential for a child’s development. This kind of play enhances social and emotional skills and strengthens linguistic skills. Playing pretend is more than just make-believe. It allows children to process and understand the larger world, and their place within it.
Since fewer toys benefit the way kids play, maybe Alissa is doing her own kids a favor by throwing away their toys.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.