Still storing your children's 'stuff?'

Despite moving a few times, I still have a box of treasures ! I have recycled bits to the grandchildren now, books especially and they find it amusing looking at their parents childish writing inside the covers. I still have 3 of my daughters toddler dresses, she had a son but I have still kept them. My sons daughters have also worn them while staying with me. All the other bits, cards etc I have now whittled down to my favourites in one special keepsake box. I now think that when I pop my clogs, my 3 will have as little as poss to sort thro. My own Mum, 87, has a house full of, shall I say "memorabilia" !! and I dread having to go thro that lot at some stage, it will take me a month of Sunday's !!

Heaven knows what's in the roof and, if we don't sort it before we die, they will be sorting their own stuff out as well as ours!

Yes we had lots of "stuff" belonging to DD and DS - till we downsized! It's the only way to do it.

Thank you everyone! So reassuring to know I am not the only one - with 3 sons and one still at home, but still so much "stuff" here. I also have boxes from my late mother's house, my late father-in law's house and my late DH's clutter. He used to say it was all mine! Now I am trying to work with the Marie Kondo philosophy - if it brings you joy, keep it. If not then it must go. Anyone else trying this?

When my son moved into a small flat I said we would store a few boxes till they had a bigger place. When they moved into a five bedroom house I took the boxes round to be told 'you are making a mess of our house!'

I gave the family a 6 month warning then took masses of stuff to charity shop or dump. I think they were surprised then relieved that they didn't have to decide . However they each have a drawer full schoolbooks , trophies , photo sets that the grandchildren now enjoy exploring . They're encouraged to take any choice artefacts home with them!.! This thread has reminded me I still need another burst of ruthlessness on a few things .
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We have just been up in the loft this morning to see what could go into a skip that isn't quite full. I made the same comment as Kittylester, that when we die the kids will have our junk as well as theirs to sort out. We did actually come down with two items to throw away! Youngest DS has just moved so hopefully some of his stuff will go shortly as he now has lots more cupboard space than us. I also have a cupboard in the spare bedroom which I must tackle. I am slowly turning into both my late parents for keeping things whereas MIL can't stand clutter and isn't very sentimental.

Amry 64 - just looked back at your post and I totally agree . My only problem is that in ( fingers crossed )!years to come when I'm less active and want to reminisce I may have discarded the very things that may then bring joy. We are different people at different stages of our lives .

My DCs are in their mid-30's and I have plenty of their 'stuff' in the top of two wardrobes and the attic. DD's bought a house.......... I just might help her move it! DS doesn't have room and tells me to chuck it all out but I can't bring myself to, there's a lot of his university work/textbooks etc.
I console myself with the thought that they'll have to sort it out eventually when we go!

WE kept "stuff" for a long time.. Eventually downsized and told them to pick up their stuff. Not all was wanted and I couldn't part with some of it. One of my grand daughter now has her daddy's favourite "teddy" of when he was born! Still giving them little bit here and there. The Gkids laugh at some of the school reports! But I remember my Mum doing exactly the same when I left home. It's a nice feeling really.

Imperfect27, I love your husband's idea of wrapping it all up for Christmas. We got rid of most of ours when they set up house. We then moved ourselves so a lot more went, having consulted with them first and having sent copious photos via email to remind them of the 'much loved' toy, book etc. We inevitably ended up with stuff we didn't get a chance to go through at time of move but have now whittled it down to a few boxes in the attic which will be there for them to sort through when we pop our clogs. That's the beauty of having extra storage space in your last home. You know you will not be the one sorting through it.

No due to a few house moves. I've even sorted through photo albums with regard to baby photos,holidays,events etc. Purchased 2 new albums and sorted out a good mix of their life including photos of each siblings ,put them in each album- condensed mine and passed them on. Tbh who trawls through them with your grown children as in reality they would sit there unloved until your dead !

Re their old soft toys - we had masses of these, some still in their rooms but a lot in bin bags in the loft. I've never been able to bring myself to throw such things away.

However, a couple of years ago we sorted the well-loved from the rest, and found that Battersea Dogs' home would welcome them, as long as they weren't filled with polystyrene. Dh took a stack up to them. They probably won't last long, but I've known a few dogs who like carrying furry soft toys around and having one or two in their basket.

Visiting friends had a lovely flat coat retriever - on his first visit to our house he charged upstairs and came back with a very battered old teddy off grown up dd's bed - she'd had it since she was one day old. Dd was afraid he'd chew it up, but he never had - he just liked carrying them around.

Still storing some stuff for mid-40's children, but the 3 grandchildren do enjoy heading to our attic rooms and raiding for things. DS and DD goes with them sometimes to reminisce, taking bits and pieces home but telling me I can get rid of other things.

I have not parted with their childhood books as these began to be read soon after DGD was born (now 10). A pile of Biggles and Mary Poppins went home last weekend with DS to read to his little son. Despite being out of date, Mallory Towers and the like are still popular! Waiting for DGD to get onto the Chalet School stories.

If they have a loft or garage then give them an ultimatum - sort it by the end of the year or it goes to the dump, charity or ebay. Personal things like school reports and other childhood mementoes I box up and label with their name on and they can do what they want with them after I'm gone but at least it will be altogether to look through.

Very large house that's full of stuff!.
Books. Posters, clothes, Uni papers x2. LPs. tapes.
Boxes of stuff DH brought home from his office when he retired 7 years ago. Cellar full. Walk in cupboards x3 full.
Wardrobes overflowing with clothes I keep on meaning to take to the charity shops.
Room full of half empty paint tins and a garden room full of junk.
It keeps me awake at night thinking about it. We talk and talk about dealing with it but we never seem to actually do anything about it.

My DH is now checking out the local 'man with a van' so maybe, fingers crossed?

YES! I thought we might be the only ones!! Occasionally there's a sort out but there's one large cupboard that's still full and another that just has a couple of large items in it. Luckily we don't need the space - yet! - though DH's 'collections' are gradually increasing. We have toys and bookes from their childhood which have come in really handy with the GC I must say.

No stuff stored at ours: I have ensured what is there's and they want has gone with them on there lives forward. I did find bits and pieces over the years in various odd places which I have given back to them when we see them. They know me too well. I am not a hoarder. If it isn't being used it's the tip charity or sell. I am a minimalist. Fortunately so are they. Thet aren't into keeping stuff they no longer have use for.

Now I wish I could say the same for my husband [sighs] We have lived in this house for 15 years. I have always known he likes to keep stuff. Ridiculous stuff, empty boxes and so on years after the thing has broken. Most of it I have got rid of eventually.

We are in the throes of moving bedrooms into the main master in the house. Now all of our four bar one have fled the nest we are reclaiming the biggest bedroom.

Oh my days! Gutting his side of the inbuilt overhead wardrobes has been an experience I never want to go through again nor will in the new bedroom. Ten large dustbin size bags later full of flattened cardboard, old broken equipment like headphones, leads etc (which will go to the scrapman) etc. well you can imagine, later and I was exhausted needed a shower and so on.

We found things he moaned one of the boys must have taken, things that he had forgotten he had.

10 boxes of stuff ended up as 2 boxes in the end. Need I say anymore. He was rather shamed about it though. He did know it was bad but chose to ignore it. I do love him to bits though I thought I would add he is a good man

I also said to him he would be a candidate for Obessive Compulsive Cleaners on British tv which is the U.S version of Hoarders if he lived alone

When my son and family were moving abroad, I got the stored toys down from the loft and got his sister and him to choose what they wanted, I kept some in Granny's toybox, the rest to charity shops.

No way. Long since disposed of. Gave them every opportunity to retrieve treasured items, set a deadline, then what remained went to charity shops or to the dump. No room in our increasingly over-stocked home with all our own stuff.

We moved house 10 years ago to make our three remaining children leave home downsize, making a point of not giving them their "own" room when they visit. When DS1 stayed for some months we actually put him in the not so nice basement rather than one of the bedrooms.
Sounds mean? Well perhaps, but the youngest was 21 and they all have their own homes now - we just don't want them to start leaving stuff here all over again. There are toys for the GC, but all of the children's boxes and clutter went with them or has been delivered to them.
My DIL does leave a sponge bag of childrens' toiletries and toothbrushes, but if anything else is left I parcel it up and send it (second class!) to their home addresses.

My son (40) who moved out at 18, has his own drawers here, including a metal office file (for his paperwork) still has most of his post sent here and all his parcels.
The garage has a convertible BMW in it, only taken out in good weather and shelves of tools and other stuff.
He has his own business so often turns up at lunchtime and raids the fridge.
He and his wife park in their drive and they have converted their garage into a Games Room for him and his boy.
After saying that, love him calling round all the time and he does all my little jobs for me.

We had two lofts (one over a double garage) full of 'stuff' belonging to the 'grown up and moved away' children ; they wanted these things kept...but not in their lofts! When we downsized they both found it very difficult to part with items but the local charity shop took several car loads. It was wonderful to be free of it all - although I did keep two or three things for the GC.

Glad I kept some toys - duplo, lego and garden toys - they come in very handy for Grandchildren.

Seems to be a common problem. My house & garage are stuffed with DS & DS bits and bobs. DD just says take them to a charity shop! I am a bit of a hoarder - 6GCs have had fun playing with Mum & Dad's old toys so they are doubly sentimental pieces