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If I were ever to reflect on the most challenging part of raising a neurodivergent child, it's... their collections. Seriously. My blood pressure is steadily rising as I type this. I spend a formidable amount of time seeking toys. I think all kids do this to an extent. Most parents can relate to the scenario of searching for that one red car from 3 months ago all over the place. But what makes this phenomena particularly epic with my daughter in partcular are two things.

Thing the first. Kids toys are tiny. Ridiculously so. A visual for you:

Hand there for scale. That's nothing. We have squishmallows, jungle animals, zoo animals, Hatchimals, squishy animals, moshi animals (she likes animals, if you can’t tell), POLLY FREAKING POCKET, Pokémon, and did you know Barbie now has carved a space in the teeny tiny toy market? It's all a bit much! I have not through the years succeeded in keeping a running inventory of what she has and what she doesn't. But do you know who does? She does 😫😫😫😫😫

Thing the second. She has a crazy formidable memory. She remembers where we bought her toys, when, if anything special happened that day. She associates actions and other items, unrelated or not to collection items. So if she sees one thing and she's created a thread between it and something else, she will demand the other thing. So hunting for toys is quite the ordeal.
"K, are these the squishmallow sunglasses?"
"NO THOSE ARE THE HATCHIMALS ONES (DUH)."

I often feel like a failure, especially with the silent duh reverberating in her exasperated tone!

Sometimes I fret, worried that she will be a hoarder one day. But I also find the chaos funny and endearing. I just really REALLY wish toys weren't so damn tiny.

Having children is like living in a frat house - nobody sleeps, everything's broken, and there's a lot of throwing up.
– Ray Romano