For the Sake of the Washing Machine - Empty Your Pockets

Mothers of little boys soon learn to check pockets before doing the laundry. Even the smallest of boys will begin picking up little treasures every where they go. My little boy started this ritual at the tender age of 18 months. He is now seven, and these items were removed from his pockets during the last two days.

Sharpened Popsicle sticks (because every little boy needs a miniature sword)

Sharpened wood chips (these make great knives/daggers)

A broken pencil eraser

A panda pencil topper

A miniature Rottweiler

A magnifying glass

A red jewel

A link of jump rope

A zipper pull

3 pinto beans – yes, pinto beans

A broken bread bag fastener

And by far his favorite thing to find:

AirSoft pellets and BBs

He doesn’t have an AirSoft or a BB gun, but he and all of his friends love to collect these tiny treasures. They search for these circles of color on the playground at recess and trade with each other for colors they don’t have or colors they love. He usually carries home a few rocks which make their presence known when I forget to empty his pockets by banging loudly inside the dryer drum. To most of us these items may be garbage, but to him and his friends, these forgotten and abandoned tokens are the currency of his playground.