Have your parents stored everything from your childhood?

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spiderplant94@reddit

A mix, my baby & toddler clothes were hand me downs that were passed on, but she's still kept the baby grow I came home from the hospital in. She also has one or two pieces of art work I did as a toddler - the sort of hand print rudolph type things you do at nursery that she kept. Equally I have kept my babies first baby grow and passed on others as she's grown out of them. She kept all my books from toddler/child hood though - and I now have them for my child. Including one which is a book of fairy tails that my grandmother bought for my mum as a baby and now my baby has.

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Calm-Bus7555@reddit

Mine got rid of most things unfortunately, so no finding old toys and clothes in the loft. We have some photos and bits of school work and then since my teens I’ve kept a few more keepsakes but my parents were pretty ruthless about decluttering ☹️

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Moreghostthanperson@reddit

Not sure if my mum kept things to be honest. But with my own kids I do intend on keeping some things, but not everything. I’m very sentimental but also aware that we can’t keep hold of absolutely everything. Things like school reports, school photos, their first pair of shoes, fist baby grow, a favourite pair of pjs from when they were babies, a post card from their first holiday we took them on, favourite cuddly toys that they became especially attached to over the years, toys such as Lego that can stand the test of time and be used for potential future grandchildren or that were particular favourites of theirs, certain pieces of artwork that I feel stand out in some way, have certain memories attached to them or cards/pictures that they have made for us over the years. I have loads of photos that I do intend to get printed out and put into albums at some point. It sounds like a lot written down but it’s easily stored in one or two medium sized plastic boxes. Not sure why I keep it, but I can’t bring myself to throw certain things away. I think I feel like as time goes on memories fade and I don’t want to forget. Keeping this stuff might be nice to look back on one day, and maybe my children will appreciate it too.

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REPS2105@reddit

I've still got all my school photos & toys I played with in the 80s/90s in the shed https://preview.redd.it/zmce72ecue3g1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c87e3c619a1966eab6b1ee71f4ea85c844db951

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REPS2105@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/cmxmhhqdue3g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e626c21e6be12a3b1fd7588cf4ba3b490692208

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feebsiegee@reddit

No. Dad was in the army and we moved around a lot. They might have some school reports, but I doubt it.

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Snoogulls@reddit

My step dad is a bit of a hoarder so a lot of my childhood from 8-18 was in his loft as we weren't encouraged to throw anything away. He's now in the process of getting that house ready for sale so the loft is being emptied and I am having to revisit my childhood. Found some fun things but also a load of junk! Highlights so far are some 1999 Pokemon playing cards that are in great condition and could be valuable and my micromachines van city. I had so much fun with that as a kid!!

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fleetwood_mag@reddit

My parents kept bugger all of my childhood stuff. I’ve already got a box full of my kids baby stuff, there’s going to be plenty by the time they’re adults.

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sockhead99@reddit

My mother still has my baby teeth. Although she did let me take all of my 1980's action figures, which I then sold for about £5k to collectors.

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roseflower1990@reddit

My mum kept our best toys and the oldest grandchild is 12, youngest is 2 months, so she has a room with the toys in and honestly i love it. I had a duplo house that I get to play with with my toddler now, sylvanian house, knex, lego collection with loads of people which my 3 year old loves to swap body parts around. She's got rattles and musical instruments which are nearly 40 years old and a collection of cuddlies like noddy from 35 years ago, original teletubbies etc. I think you have to be specific in what you keep. The toys that are really cherished and you keep few, but whole collections. Random toys didnt make the cut, just proper sets which were expensive to buy at the time. I already know when I buy a toy if it'll be one I save. Little metal cars from the film cars and little people sets definitely. Paw patrol tower absolutely not ✋️🤣

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greatdrams23@reddit

I have kept many boxes of childhood things of my children. They don't want them, but I think they will want to at least see them when they are older.

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insertitherenow@reddit

My parents no. My wife’s parents yes. We moved into their old house when they passed and the attic is full of my wife’s childhood stuff.

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annedroiid@reddit

My parents have a bunch of that stuff in their garage. My mum considers it to be her memories rather than mine as I don't really care about it but she can think fondly of me when I was small.

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mibbling@reddit

My mum kept everything. Despite me regularly filing bin bags of stuff to go to the charity shop or in the bin, she would regularly retrieve it ‘oh but you loved that… ah but you looked so sweet in that…’ and has tried to give me lots of things for my own children to use, most of which would not pass modern safety checks 😂 ‘thanks mum, that’s a lovely idea’ and then I stick it in a drawer and deal with it later.

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SongsAboutGhosts@reddit

Mine kept certificates from school, and do have photos (obviously a fraction as many of me, the middle child, than either of my siblings). I think my mum may have our teeth and some hair, but I'm not sure. We're at the first real point where we'll be passing stuff of our own kids' on one way or another, and I'm trying hard to balance 'what is hard for me to pass on?' with 'what would they like to have?' eg it could be cute for their babies (should they have any) to have the same first outfit, but will they care remotely about the 'little brother' onesie we got for our second, for example. Will they be mad we've thrown away almost every piece of artwork nursery have sent home? (Our 2yo has literally told us arecent piece is poo.) Should we be keeping a curl of his gorgeous hair even though we think it's pretty creepy? I also morbidly and possibly selfishly have a kinda similar dilemma when buying presents for my grandparents now, which is 'will anyone else want that when they die (if it's not consumable)?'.

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AnimeBritGuy@reddit

They've kept pictures. About 5 toys/teddies that were my favourite and a lot of drawings I made as a kid.

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Background_Fox@reddit

I'm currently at the clear out stage - I'm keeping sentimental soft toys (checked with the kids, they did have a couple that weren't on my radar as important), awards, photos, anything they have ticked off as personally sentimental to them, and anything that was produced that is of good quality whether that be pictures or handmade items. We didn't keep the reports much other than primary school early ones who did a whole photo folder. As an adult, it's actually the toys that I like keeping. I find I get more sentimental the older I get

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Broken_Woman20@reddit

My parents kept EVERYTHING. I’m 47 now and I kid you not, when I was pregnant my Mum offered me her maternity clothes from the 70s, then when I was due to give birth they produced my old cot and high hair (it was hideous). When my kids were toddlers all my Fisheries Price toys came out and they’ve been handing me concert tickets from the 1980s, my old study books from GCSE and A Levels and much more. Most of it could have been thrown away, if I’m honest. I’m not sentimental about these things and I think they kept them for their own sentimentality as much as for me. One thing has proved very useful and that is all of my school reports from primary and secondary school. I am going through an ADHD assessment process and they have been very insightful. Those and photos are really all that matter to me, if I’m honest. I kept a lock of my own children’s hair from their 1st birthdays and their first baby grows. Not much else though.

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Utram_butram@reddit

Honestly I don’t think it matters what is kept. It’s all the other stuff. My mum is a minimalist from before that was even a trend. When school would send all our stuff back at the end of the year it wouldn’t even make it into the house before going in the outside bin. My MIL is the opposite and kept every single thing. I hate it. She expects me to do the same (was v unimpressed when she saw my birthday cards in the bin a week later - she keeps them all and the pretty ones stay out forever). A while back when they did a loft conversion she tried to give us 3 or 4 boxes of my partners school stuff. Made me realise how glad I am my mum didn’t keep anything. Makes it less awkward down the line. Maybe keep the odd painting but everything else is pointless imo. Good parenting is about creating cherished memories, not hoarding the crap that they did at school

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Sammiebear_143@reddit

I've held on to probably too much of my kids' stuff because I didn't have a lot of things I wish I'd kept now. I somehow have kept all my secondary school work, but I have very few reports. For my kids, all their reports from nursery up to college, all certificates of achievement, etc, are kept in their own binders. Lots of artwork, kept in A3 folders for each of them, small art projects. The 3' titanic junk model my eldest built when he was in primary, I couldn't keep, but I took a photo of it for him to remember. There are many things they may not bother keeping, but it will be their choice as adults when they move out. Loads of their childhood books I've kept, and some toys for any potential grandchildren. My daughters stage costumes from when she danced and all their first shoes and dance shoes.

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Mischeese@reddit

My parents didn’t keep a thing, if I didn’t take it the day I moved out then it went to the tip. I was so annoyed. Currently clearing out my deceased in laws place and it is rammed with everything their kids ever wore, played with or created. Now I get it and I wish they had been more like my parents!

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trtrtr82@reddit (OP)

Honestly if my parents were like that I'd love going through it all. Not saying I wouldn't bin the lot afterwards but if I had the choice I'd rather that than nothing.

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Abwettar@reddit

I tried to keep all my childhood stuff but got told off for taking up too much space and had to get rid of the vast majority lol. There's often times I think about toys or books or trinkets I had to throw away and get sad about it, but i guess I'm more sentimental than a lot of people.

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StGuthlac2025@reddit

Sort off. When I went to uni the first week they put everything in boxes from my room into the garage and then redecorated the place to their style as if I was never going to return over my three years of studies.

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MountainMuffin1980@reddit

Some stiff, and I guess selfishly I'd love to have had every scrap of disgusting shitty toddler art and writing I did throughout life, but really, they only have so much space in the attic!

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N64Andysaurus92@reddit

Yes 🙄 Their garage is filled with boxes and boxes of old toys, board games, books and clothes and I keep telling them to sell or donate them but they won't, keeping hold of it for the 'grand children' despite the fact my brother is a socially awkward near 40 year old virgin, I'm gay and my younger sister who does have a baby, doesn't want any of it as she has always been something of a minimalist and a clean freak who especially doesn't like used old dusty tat. But they won't have it.

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anabsentfriend@reddit

No, my mum chucked everything I left. She mocks me for the few things I kept because it's 'childish'. We barely speak now.

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OccidentalTouriste@reddit

There are no visible pictures of me or my siblings in the house so I'd be very surprised to find that anything from our childhoods had been saved.

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trtrtr82@reddit (OP)

My mum one picture of us all as a family in the entrance hall of the house but apart from that nothing. When my dad died she brought out their wedding album which I'd never seen before (I was late 30s by that point) so I got a picture scanned in and have it on my mantlepiece. I'm crap at printing photos out so should really be trying to print more and put them up.

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Nemariwa@reddit

My dad divided up childhood photos so we each have some including him. He has each of our baby books but no other toys/keepsakes. He's moved several times over the years and before that a good amount of stuff that went in the loft was chewed by mice. My siblings will sometimes make a rumbling about me being the only one to have several of my childhood toys and I have to point out that a) I was a weird kid who kept my most cherished toys in good condition b) I prioritised taking them with me when I left home.

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buginarugsnug@reddit

My mum wanted to keep everything but I didn’t. I kept some photos and have them under my bed but I threw out all my workbooks etc. my sister on the other hand was in agreement with my mum that she wanted to keep everything - there are boxes and boxes in my parents loft.

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Suspicious_Banana255@reddit

Keep favourite toys from different stages of your child's life. Keep a selection of drawings preferably with ages written on the back. Keep some school work at different ages. Keep a favorite baby outfit. You can use kids clothes to dress teddies. I turned T-shirts into a patchwork blanket, you can pay someone to do that or make a teddy with them. Photos and videos are the best reminder. It's lovely to look back and remember how your child was at different stages, the things they liked best, what they write and draw etc. Unless you have an amazing memory these things are lovely reminders, but you don't need a house full just a box or two.

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destria@reddit

My parents got rid of everything apart from photos. I have a couple of photo albums and a few school pictures. But I don't have any school work, artwork, school reports, toys etc. My parents aren't really the sentimental sort. I have some stuff that I kept myself from my teenage years like books which I took with me when I moved out. But anything I left got thrown out. Personally I'd like to keep a little more for my own child. Or at least digitize things like artwork!

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Single-Aardvark9330@reddit

My mum did, then she got them out one day and asked me if I wanted my maths books from primary school I obviously said no and chucked the whole lot

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_InvisibleGirl_@reddit

My parents got rid of everything while I was away in hospital. I was/am saddest about my special bear (the favourite toy!) and the gifts my grandmother sent from South Africa. Some were hand made by her, she did a lot of sewing and knitting, other traditional hand made goodies and trinkets like wooden carvings and beadwork, weird and wonderful things from a mysterious far away place! I only met her once as she lived so far away. Presents from granny were special, they always arrived wrapped in brown paper and string with a wax seal. When I was in my 30s, I googled a picture of my beloved bear (my partner still has his and I wanted to show him mine). He actually found the exact same one on eBay someone had kept new in the box and bought it for me. Sweetest most thoughtful gift ever.

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Watchkeys@reddit

Aw, that's lovely. I lost my little lion in the same way, so this touched my heart :)

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kitknit81@reddit

Not everything but there’s a few boxes in their attic with stuff from my childhood and i took some stuff with me when i left. I’m a bit of a hoarder so I’m trying hard with my own son to balance keeping things of significance and not keeping everything single picture he made, teddy he has etc. I want him to have stuff from his childhood but not everything so it takes up all the space in my small attic.

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Mental_Body_5496@reddit

My parents had very little from their childhood so we have a fair amount my mum loved photos so I have lots of albums, books and dolls and stuff. My husband's parents moved house when he was 19 at uni and his stuff was boxed up and put in the garage and then they had a flood he has 1 try and some comics. I am a bit of a hoarder and have kept too much from my own kids I have boxes of clothes and toys and school uniform etc. I need to thin it down !

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cgknight1@reddit

When I left, my mum started decorating my room the same day - she was a lovely woman but very, very practical and not sentimental at all. I am the same so did not care. Anything I did not take was thrown or given away to people who needed it.

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kestrelita@reddit

My parents kept loads of stuff, and presented it to me. They were really surprised that I wasn't fussed about keeping it.

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Chance-Bread-315@reddit

I'm 29 and have done various stages of clearing my things out of my mums house over the years but there's lots still there - some school books and certificates etc, all my school reports, lots of photos, some sentimental toys I kept hold of, books, some clothes from when I was a teenager, maybe a few bits of baby clothes, my first pair of shoes, dressing up clothes (which were an eclectic collection of ancient hand-me-downs and hand made things, not shop bought costumes). As a family we have some hoarding tendencies and I'm pretty sentimental (as a child I would talk about wanting to save baby books to read to my own children!) so my mum doesn't throw away anything belonging to my sister and I without us sorting through it ourselves. Sometimes it seems like a burden but I *do* like the idea that I'll be able to read my children the exact copies of the books my mum read to me and it is nice to go through things and share the memories.

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dogtsunami@reddit

My parents haven’t kept any of my stuff as far as I know. They are divorced now and probs have pictures and stuff but definitely no school reports or schoolwork. It doesn’t really bother me, I’m not that sentimental and I don’t really want to read terrible school reports. Honestly now everything is so digital it’s probably much easier to keep, but harder to get the jist of what is going on in a photo etc. as we no longer really organise them. So maybe just create a book or even a digital folder of photos with some narrative would be a nice thing to have for the future.

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Mysterious_Bite_3207@reddit

Interesting - as I have boxes of shit I don't have room for. But then I came across a box of those cheap landfill fodder magazine toys my kids loved so much. Broke my heart remembering how attached they were to things they didn't really remember.

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SarkyMs@reddit

Nothing, she was obsessed on giving us our stuff when we left home.

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Lessarocks@reddit

No. My mother didn’t have a sentimental bone in her body and the minute each of us moved out, she got into the bedroom, discarded anything we’d left behind, and redecorated. She kept nothing from our childhoods. Not a single scrap. But she didn’t enjoy being a mother at all.

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llynllydaw_999@reddit

My parents kept nothing from my childhood except various photos that none of us will ever look at again. (And I've no problem with that.)

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Historical_Yak_3459@reddit

Yeah, mine kept a selection of my school books, drawings, baby clothes and soft toys. And lots of photos. I've been storing most of it myself since sometime in my 20s, though.

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OwineeniwO@reddit

Toys, school stuff photo albums, they haven't moved house in 40 years and aren't too keen on a minimalist house.

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