How many toys?

A parenting author I liked years ago, but am starting to disagree with more and more over the years, is John Rosemond:

He claims that when he was five years old, he had exactly five toys (which he wasn't even allowed to play with unless it was raining or dark outside.)

I believe he recommends that kids have less than five toys -- or perhaps it's less than ten, but you get the idea.

A few years ago, I actually thought this sounded like a good idea. For one thing, I'm not a fan of clutter. And also, I bought into the idea that "too many" toys kills creativity and resourcesfulness. (By the way, is there any evidence of this, or is it just a convenient excuse?)

He also says that children should watch no television and not play any computer games.

Which leads me to wonder ... what in the world did he (and children in families that follow his advice) spend their days doing???

I kept track of what toys my girls (ages 4 and 6) played with in a 48-hour period, and it included the following:

- toy farm with animals
- wooden xylophone
- big indoor slide
- Playful Patterns (from Discovery Toys)
- Play-do
- Tea Set
- Aqua Doodle
- Blocks
- Hi-Ho-Cherrio
- Barney floor puzzle
- Air hockey table
- Toy jewelry
- Various stuffed animals
- Ball and bat
- Scooters and bikes
- Swing set

And yes, they were also read to, and they watched TV and they played on the computer. And no, they were not even home all this time.

Five toys??

Playing outside is great -- in fact, we're all outside as I type this -- but for eight or nine hours a day?? Every day?? And not by choice, but because they're "not allowed" to play with toys until after dark?

And why would I want that for my kids anyway?