Still storing your children's 'stuff?'

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 !

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.

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.

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!

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 .

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.

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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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!'

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?

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

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!

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 !!

When sorting things some years ago I purchased what I called "Memory Boxes" for my 3 adult children. As I sorted through things it provided a place to put all those school reports, photos, cards, childhood drawings etc. When they have room the boxes are handed over and until then they love to look through the boxes when they visit. I guess the real issue is whether you have room to store kid's stuff without impacting on your own living arrangements. If you are inconvenienced by your kid's stuff then a request to sort and clear their stuff by a specified date is in order. It's about reminding your adult offspring that they are grown ups and responsible for their own stuff.

We rented a storage unit for our company which slowly got filled with our grand-daughters' belongings. When the storage unit closed, we boxed everything up there and asked the girls to come and sort out what they wanted to keep and what could go to the charity shop/tip. As the decluttering bug bit, I also emptied a lot of the things that I had at home and sorted out my daughters' things as well. Old school reports, exam results, significant paperwork and childhood drawings etc. were put into an archive box for each person. The only one not to have collected is my daughter who lives abroad. Weight allowance when flying home was a valid excuse. Other things stored over the years in stables were visited by mice - the perfect excuse to get rid of boxes that hadn't been opened in years. Last two grandchilden have yet to move out - there is still some serious decluttering to do there.

my eldest son proudly declared the other day they no longer needed such a large shed in their garden as they didn't have much to store in there. I did point out the reason for that is its still all in my garage. His attitude was well what would you use your garage for if our stuff wasn't in there.....uummm I do have a car parked outside!
My youngest son has loads of stuff here since he went back to uni and my middle son has declared he no longer has boxes here even though I have found books and other things of his!!

Yes. Try as I may, it lingers. However......every time I visit now I drip feed a couple of boxes of miscellaneous items and the stock here is now eroding rather nicely. I plan to end up with just a couple of spare outfits for both of them for those unexpected visits and that will be that. Roll on!

When I moved house 10 years ago, I had a glorious few hours with my youngest son- going through the box of 'soft' animals that I'd not had the heart to throw away! We remembered the names of all the animals from 30 years ago or so...needless to say I've still got that box! Couldn't bring myself to part with it..........grandchildren love looking through it and seeing what daddy/mummy/uncle/aunt used to have! And I still have half a room full of things my younger son hasn't managed to remove...so glad I am not the only one!! But books and soft toys hold so many memoried for everyone.

When I moved to my narrow boat recently it was quite a downsize. My three children's 'stuff' went into boxes. This even included school work and reports and 'artwork'. They were all happy to have it and looked forward to going through it.

If your children don't want it then bin it. You have to give them the choice though.

Toys are useful for Granchildren, but we offered to take our DD's stuff to their new homes when they married and they both said they didn't want the clutter. We kept it for a while in case they changed their minds and then restocked the local charity shop and booked a shredding bag for all the paper stuff like od school books.

Yes, quite a bit of stuff for both - and they've both got their own houses! But we do have more storage space. I don't mind. I can't see us ever leaving this house except in a box, or God Forbid to a care home, and in either case dds will have to get rid of everything anyway.
In the past few years we have got rid of a lot of our own old cra*p though. Dh re boarded and re insulated the loft, which meant getting all the mountains of stuff out. Loads of it went to either tip or to charity shops. One of the shops told us our stuff had raised over £200 - it must have been better than we thought!

I have a lovely memory of DD1, aged nine, making her first ever 'independent' trip to a church jumble sale at the bottom of our road. She proudly - and defiantly - bore home ALL THE STUFF that used to be hers that I had given away - two large carrier bags full. Should never have given her that 50p !!! I will never forget the smile on her lips and the look of triumph in her eye!

Dd1 was here in the summer. As she was packing I offered her a cup of tea in the garden. I slipped back into her room and secreted a few of her treasures in the case. Whenever I visit half my suitcase is her treasures. When she first left home she had a lovely flat well furnished. It then moved to my garage when she went to study in the us . Then she married and moved to another country. I gave all her evening dresses and shoes away. She has yet to notice. A charity for people made homeless got some very nice furniture. I've still got stuff. And I'm a hoarder .

I have a spare room with a lot of belongings of three children youngest aged 44 + and upwards, about 20 big boxes from school days, university days, plus various hobby and personal bits and pieces Sons tool boxes, sports equipment, car hubs/ tyres, box of records and keep fit stuff I also have a number of boxes of my Mum and Dads that I don't know what to do with I can't just throw them out I even have a record collection and sheet music of my Nan and Granddad
I have boxed it all tidily and each child has a section of the room so if I kick the bucket before I ve got it gone each can sort their own stuff out ( well not my Mum and Dad and grandparents of course?)

DD1 was here this weekend, funnily. The idea is that she now has her own home, and I would like to redecorate "her" bedroom as a guest room. Yes, she will have the use of it when she is home, of course. But the purple and burgundy walls have to go!
We managed to go through her wardrobe (she has been living away for over a year and it was STUFFED with clothes she didnt remember she had) and her bureau bookcase, but that isnt the half of it. All i will say, is three industrial sized rubbish bags for the tip, plus the same again for the charity shop and we arent half done. Please note I said "we". She tells me she couldnt possibly do it all by herself.

Yes lots of normal Lego too small for my DGS's
a set of "My little ponies" plus accessories. Books and board games never now used,. I ought to send them to a charity shop. Neither of my children have much room in their houses. However OH has the worst hoarding problem.