4 ms·

And then you have a kid.

notauser 16y ago
Why do children need lots of stuff? My grandfather was one of seven children, and they had one drawer each for toys and another drawer for clothes. They seemed to turn out OK. Of course this kind of thing requires the co-operation of both parents, but that's true of a lot of things.
- adamhowell 16y ago
  I wasn't implying that kids need lots of stuff. I was implying that then you have a kid and have more urgent things to worry about than whether or not your life is perfectly organized. Like how to get the kid to stop wiping their poop on the dog.
  - runjake 16y ago
    Try having triplets. A perfectly organized (and frugal) life suddenly becomes a huge priority, whether you like it or not. In my case, I also took a minimalist approach and work towards getting rid of clutter, selling off spare computers or equipment for hobbies I don't have time for anymore. I haven't had a "singleton" (single born child), but I can imagine the same organizational/simplifying demands are made of you, but to a lesser extent.
    - Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
      Having had one and having seen friends with twins, multiples are definitely harder. Yes there are certain economies of scale but I don't think they even come close to balancing up the additional chaos, effort and exhaustion. (And +1 for sympathy and respect that you've had triplets and are still here to tell the tale).
      - runjake 16y ago
        In fact, my experiences (which contrast the article) are what has enabled me to be here and sane. Before, we were fleeting, disorganized, and didn't plan. Now everything is regimented and organized and "minimalized". That's how we're sane and fairly happy (it feels like the movie Groundhog Day, often. And you really have to focus on marriage time.). We're finding our experiences to be much more sane than others, when we talk to other multiples parents. They haven't developed a simple life, and a simple set of regiments.
  - tome 16y ago
    Not having the dog would be the minimalist solution.
kellysutton 16y ago
I thought this was the case, too. Until I started reading about Sean Bonner. Look him up!
kenjackson 16y ago
What if you have twins? There goes minimalism, and here comes redundancy.
- qntm 16y ago
  I like to think of the younger twin as a backup copy, in case the older twin becomes lost or damaged.
  - ceejayoz 16y ago
    That's gonna leave a mark.
  - die_sekte 16y ago
    But do you keep the spare one in a remote facility, to secure yourself against natural disasters?
edash 16y ago
I think Leo Babauta of http://mnmlist.com/ http://mnmlist.com/ is a great model for minimalism (or simplicity, or however you'd like to define it) and he has six children. http://thepowerofless.com/leo-babauta-author-bio/ http://thepowerofless.com/leo-babauta-author-bio/ His mindset defines minimalism for me and I think refutes the central points of this blog post. He seems to be financially successful, frugal, happy, healthy and in a loving relationship with a wife and family. If anything, stripping life down to the bare essentials should give you more time to focus on your family. Granted, I don't have children, so feel free to dismiss my comments on those grounds alone :)
godDLL 16y ago
And then you eat it. With butter.

Why do children need lots of stuff? My grandfather was one of seven children, and they had one drawer each for toys and another drawer for clothes. They seemed to turn out OK. Of course this kind of thing requires the co-operation of both parents, but that's true of a lot of things.

adamhowell 16y ago
I wasn't implying that kids need lots of stuff. I was implying that then you have a kid and have more urgent things to worry about than whether or not your life is perfectly organized. Like how to get the kid to stop wiping their poop on the dog.
- runjake 16y ago
  Try having triplets. A perfectly organized (and frugal) life suddenly becomes a huge priority, whether you like it or not. In my case, I also took a minimalist approach and work towards getting rid of clutter, selling off spare computers or equipment for hobbies I don't have time for anymore. I haven't had a "singleton" (single born child), but I can imagine the same organizational/simplifying demands are made of you, but to a lesser extent.
  - Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
    Having had one and having seen friends with twins, multiples are definitely harder. Yes there are certain economies of scale but I don't think they even come close to balancing up the additional chaos, effort and exhaustion. (And +1 for sympathy and respect that you've had triplets and are still here to tell the tale).
    - runjake 16y ago
      In fact, my experiences (which contrast the article) are what has enabled me to be here and sane. Before, we were fleeting, disorganized, and didn't plan. Now everything is regimented and organized and "minimalized". That's how we're sane and fairly happy (it feels like the movie Groundhog Day, often. And you really have to focus on marriage time.). We're finding our experiences to be much more sane than others, when we talk to other multiples parents. They haven't developed a simple life, and a simple set of regiments.
- tome 16y ago
  Not having the dog would be the minimalist solution.

kellysutton 16y ago

I thought this was the case, too. Until I started reading about Sean Bonner. Look him up!

kenjackson 16y ago

What if you have twins? There goes minimalism, and here comes redundancy.

qntm 16y ago
I like to think of the younger twin as a backup copy, in case the older twin becomes lost or damaged.
- ceejayoz 16y ago
  That's gonna leave a mark.
- die_sekte 16y ago
  But do you keep the spare one in a remote facility, to secure yourself against natural disasters?

edash 16y ago

I think Leo Babauta of http://mnmlist.com/ http://mnmlist.com/ is a great model for minimalism (or simplicity, or however you'd like to define it) and he has six children. http://thepowerofless.com/leo-babauta-author-bio/ http://thepowerofless.com/leo-babauta-author-bio/ His mindset defines minimalism for me and I think refutes the central points of this blog post. He seems to be financially successful, frugal, happy, healthy and in a loving relationship with a wife and family. If anything, stripping life down to the bare essentials should give you more time to focus on your family. Granted, I don't have children, so feel free to dismiss my comments on those grounds alone :)

godDLL 16y ago

And then you eat it. With butter.