What to Do When Your Child Loses a Toy
Early lessons about loss and responsibility.
Mighty Mommy
Unfortunately, nobody is perfect. Toys will be lost and forgotten. You might not even realize it until days later. If that is the case and you know the toy isn’t going to make it home, your child will get to learn a little bit about loss.
She/he will have to accept that the toy is gone and move on. I don’t recommend rushing out to replace the lost toy. Your child will assume that you’ll always be able to do this. You have to say no.Your child won’t be happy about it, but hopefully the experience will help foster a lesson about responsibility.
If she/he still wants this toy by the time the next birthday rolls around (and if the toy is still remembered at this point), then by all means, replace it. Chances are, unless his/her birthday is within that week, it won’t be the first choice of presents and life will go on.
Lost Teddy Bear image courtesy of Shutterstock