How to handle clutter coming in from kids' friends?

[MizLiz]

My daughter has a couple of friends who continually declutter their own toys/junk and 'gift' it to my daughter. It really is just junk (IMO), usually old and worn out clothes, random collector cards, old stuffed animals, etc.

The problem is that my daughter is so flattered to receive gifts from these kids that she's very touchy about letting any of it go (into the trash or to charity). I have no problem in getting rid of my own stuff, but it feels wrong to force my dd to let this clutter go, and I also don't feel very good about eliminating it behind her back...

I'm working hard to get rid of things we don't need and this totally goes against what I'm striving for... Any suggestions on how you've handled this with your own kids?

Thx!

[nascarbebe]

I have a friend who does this also. She gives me her used European clothes because she knows I like them but by the time they've gone through all her 3 girls they're pretty stained and worn out. I usually keep everything for a while and if we never use it I donate it. Same with toys. She does not care what I do with them once they're in my hands. I have gotten some nice things from her though.

Just set a limit for how long you'll tolerate these things. I make myself keep everything for one month and after that I allow myself to get rid of it. I don't know how old your DD is but my kids, no matter how much they appear to love something at first they always end up losing interest. That's your chance to get rid of it.