I decluttered in my boys’ room on Saturday. Thankfully, all the decluttering we’ve done over the years meant a minimal amount of time made a huge difference. I don’t show pics of my kids’ rooms anymore (since they’re old now and their rooms are their personal spaces and all), but I’ll show you a photo of something I got rid of.
Finally.
After not getting rid of it during any of the other bajillion decluttering sessions in that room.
I finally got rid of the wreath my husband’s coworkers gave us after the birth of our second son.
Our second son who turned 14 last month.
It was such a cute wreath. And he was such a cute baby. And it had his name and birthday on it.
So many times, I’d decided it could stay. Even after grasping the Container Concept, I’d felt it container-worthy.
But this time, re-decluttering, as I once again wrestled this sentimental item from the tangle of fallen hangers and other assorted things teenage boys shove in the bottoms of closets when “cleaning” their rooms, and once again felt the irritation over how impossible it was to keep the wreath in its place on the closet shelf, I realized it was more of a hassle than a memory.
Especially when, at first glance, my memory wasn’t even correct. I felt a warm-fuzzy, remembering the birth of my oldest son (15), only to read the name on the ribbon and realize it was actually the 14yo whose birth I should have been remembering.
And that was also when I noticed that his name was misspelled.
So I trashed it.
It was a hassle.
When I took the time to really pay attention, that wreath didn’t produce the sentimental feeling that something should if it’s going to take up that much space and be that big of a hassle.
I felt a pang as I stuffed the (very large and unwieldy) wreath in the trash bag, but I also felt relieved.
I did keep the bulldogs sent for each boy by those same people. Much cuddlier and much less likely to fall on my head.
And if they do fall, at least they’re soft.
I am a relentless purger. I have almost no sentimental feelings about items. BUT when I do want to remember something but not keep storing it, I take a photo of it! The memory stands, and the clutter is gone. It may not be a good solution for everyone, especially if you’re sentimental about items, but it works very well for me.
Aww, thanks for sharing this. I definitely have some of the baby shower decorations saved. Complete with the yellow ribbon. But probably not as bulky. Anyway, I can relate. I think this is a good example of when it’s okay to let go.
Dana I left a reply today while I was doing pick up and it was silly. So in reference to that I just wanted to clarify. I have a hard time detaching from my kids clothes as they get older. So I try to purge them when I am with my husband in the laundry room. I guess I feel braver to detach and I put them in black bags to keep myself Rom second guessing it. I get inspiration when I listen to my book on audible and clean while listening.
I have been decluttering for weeks, recently one of the old things I threw out was all the cards received when my daughter was born…27 years ago! They were neatly stored in a upstairs hall closet in a nice see thru container. I never looked at them for years. I feel great having more room in my closet and a couple of empty containers to use to organize in my basement. Thanks for the inspiration.
Wow, this was a helpful post. I appreciate seeing that even when you realized how badly it needed to go, that you still had that “pang” as it went in the trash bag. I get these too and I have items that escape the garbage can too many times because of these pangs.
Oh I feel your pain! Despite a divorce (and moving several times since) I still have quite a bit of childhood sentimental items for each of my four (mostly adult) children. I have guilt that because the family home was sold that, somehow, these items mean more to them. I really don’t know, so here they sit.
Another issue I have is the sentimental clutter from my dad, who passed away about 5 years ago. That’s even harder for me!
Notably, I am able to declutter my personal belongings and have become aware that I shouldn’t keep much, as not to torture my children with my clutter after I’m gone.
Thank you for the post!