lewber Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 And I totally get it! He wants his room scaled way back. But I'm not ready! What do I do with all the great children's books lining the closet shelves? The 25 cube ikea bookshelf filled with his built Lego creations? The nursery decorations gifted from his deceased grandmother? We have too much stuff! I know the drill to get rid of it, but DH isn't completely on board with my plans. Which is mostly trash and donate. I'm not overly sentimental when it comes to too much stuff. I'm really just whining, but if anyone has any tips, I'm listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 How old is your son? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 14! Yes, plenty old enough to not want these things in his room as he goes through his teen years:) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 How old is he? Do you think he might change his mind? I think I would save some and sell and donate the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 For the legos and children's books, can I suggest you locate a homeless shelter with a family ministry, a local foster care ministry or agency ,etc. They would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be blessed with Lego sets and quality children's books. We are foster parents and get kids with little to no warning often with little more than the clothes on their backs. We would have loved to be able to pick out 1-2 Lego sets and some great kids books for them from the foster care closet. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermom Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Take a nice picture, then pack it up for donations, though if he wants to make some money, the sets could be worth selling. If he or you want to save anything sentimental, allow one box of stuff. I don't think I've ever met a bookcase I didn't want, and have used them for shoes, clothes, art supplies, etc. The Ikea bookcases might still work in a minimalist setting, if he organizes it just how he wants it. Maybe drape a simple set of curtains in front of them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 Thanks. I will look into that. I know we participated in a book drive for this agency last year so I know they would love the books! That makes it easier to go through them when you know they're going to a good use. For the legos and children's books, can I suggest you locate a homeless shelter with a family ministry, a local foster care ministry or agency ,etc. They would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be blessed with Lego sets and quality children's books. We are foster parents and get kids with little to no warning often with little more than the clothes on their backs. We would have loved to be able to pick out 1-2 Lego sets and some great kids books for them from the foster care closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I would box up and save some favorite books for future grandkids, or donate them all. Legos on the other hand, apparently will always be a favorite with kids. My grands are now playing with my son's legos. If your's are all put together, take them apart and put them back in the boxes with the paperwork, in a ziploc baggy would be preferable. Then Store the boxes someplace other than his room, or donate them and take the tax deduction. They are worth way more than just trashing them. Does your son have something he would like to save up for? Have him sell the Legos on Ebay or Craigslist, or your local garage sale Facebook site. That way he gets involved in the process too. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 We donated everything to a women/children unit of a homeless shelter. It is a transition for sure, but going minimalist as a household has been a huge blessing to us! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 And I totally get it! He wants his room scaled way back. But I'm not ready! What do I do with all the great children's books lining the closet shelves? The 25 cube ikea bookshelf filled with his built Lego creations? The nursery decorations gifted from his deceased grandmother? We have too much stuff! I know the drill to get rid of it, but DH isn't completely on board with my plans. Which is mostly trash and donate. I'm not overly sentimental when it comes to too much stuff. I'm really just whining, but if anyone has any tips, I'm listening. Nursery decorations: take some photos and then donate them. Is DH going to have a hard time with you donating winnie-the-pooh curtains from granny? If so, I would say, "I know Granny Marvella gave these to Junior, but he is becoming a young man now. It is time to bless another family who needs these things." Keep a few books if they are meaningful to you, but donate the books he/you don't need any longer. Donate the legos if he has finished with them and doesn't want them. I agree with Ottakee that these are coveted items for needy people and if your son does not want to keep them, by all means, pay it forward. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Weeding is a process - don't rush it! Go through the books and you'll probably find that half aren't ones you have any real desire to read again. Get rid of those and store the rest in a box for now. Go through again in a year or so and identify those that you'd hunt down when you have grandkids one day. Keep those ones! Youngest is nearly 10, and I have a couple of under-bed drawers filled with toys and books that I'll hold onto for now. It's really not a lot, but we've moved quite a bit, and I like the feeling of permanence that holding a little stuff for the future gives me. I'd also give your son a box of this own to put stuff of sentimental value in - the books and Lego he has special memories of, then add in things you think he might value when he has his own kids. Each of my kids has a small "memory box" of similar things that sits in the top of their wardrobes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I find that with kids' stuff I have to be away from it for a while to let the 'keep me I'm sentimental' vibes drain away. And I honor that. I think it's fine. So, for instance, I kept DD's infant carseat for a while because the fabric pattern made me sentimental. And then later on it didn't, and I could get rid of it. Nothing wrong with that as long as you stash it somewhere where it's not in the way. In my case that is a big storage shelf over the garage door, accessible only by stepladder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 The nursery decorations are hard because granny had such great taste and put so much thought into all gifts. Many are personalized or specially made for DS. They're not run of the mill purchased sets- those are gone. These might have to stick around in the sentimental box. I'll figure out what to do with them, it's just overwhelming when you start looking at it all together. I did go back through the books and kept about 1/4. I'm comfortable with how that turned out. Legos are harder. Lego was DS's thing. People identify him with Lego. Right now, getting rid of those really means he's grown up. These are already the leftovers from when we did this to his old toy room so I have done it before. I just need to do it again;) Nursery decorations: take some photos and then donate them. Is DH going to have a hard time with you donating winnie-the-pooh curtains from granny? If so, I would say, "I know Granny Marvella gave these to Junior, but he is becoming a young man now. It is time to bless another family who needs these things." Keep a few books if they are meaningful to you, but donate the books he/you don't need any longer. Donate the legos if he has finished with them and doesn't want them. I agree with Ottakee that these are coveted items for needy people and if your son does not want to keep them, by all means, pay it forward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Any younger cousins who would appreciate hand-me-downs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 The nursery decorations are hard because granny had such great taste and put so much thought into all gifts. Many are personalized or specially made for DS. They're not run of the mill purchased sets- those are gone. These might have to stick around in the sentimental box. I'll figure out what to do with them, it's just overwhelming when you start looking at it all together. I did go back through the books and kept about 1/4. I'm comfortable with how that turned out. Legos are harder. Lego was DS's thing. People identify him with Lego. Right now, getting rid of those really means he's grown up. These are already the leftovers from when we did this to his old toy room so I have done it before. I just need to do it again;) Any family members that would be able to use the nursery decorations? I'd try to keep them in the family if possible. Glad you were able to go through books. Legos? Few options. Donate to kids in need. Save them for his future kids (I know there's no way to know what the future will bring, but you never know). Or, sell if he's interested (or you are) in doing that. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 The nursery decorations are hard because granny had such great taste and put so much thought into all gifts. Many are personalized or specially made for DS. They're not run of the mill purchased sets- those are gone. These might have to stick around in the sentimental box. I'll figure out what to do with them, it's just overwhelming when you start looking at it all together. I did go back through the books and kept about 1/4. I'm comfortable with how that turned out. Legos are harder. Lego was DS's thing. People identify him with Lego. Right now, getting rid of those really means he's grown up. These are already the leftovers from when we did this to his old toy room so I have done it before. I just need to do it again;) Well, nothing wrong with having a sentimental box for the special items if that's what you desire and you have the space; you said you weren't sentimental so I didn't think this was the issue. I have a Beatrix Potter blanket my mother made my DD; it was nursery decor, but it was also sentimental. It is kept at the top of the closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I think it might help to start by browsing through Ikea and Pottery Barn bedroom ideas. Look at lovely bedrooms with clean lines for teens, and then think about what will and won't work with the new set up. Don't think about what you are giving up, but think about what your son is like now and what he wants and needs as he heads toward adulthood. Just reframe it in your head - not sad that he's outgrown the nursery, but excited about the next adventure. I think boxing things up and storing them for a while is a good compromise if you are not ready to give things away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 Well, nothing wrong with having a sentimental box for the special items if that's what you desire and you have the space; you said you weren't sentimental so I didn't think this was the issue. I have a Beatrix Potter blanket my mother made my DD; it was nursery decor, but it was also sentimental. It is kept at the top of the closet. I'm not sure if I'm sentimental or just scared I'll regret it! Granny had lots of DH's baby stuff and I was happy to have it and see it when DS was born. I'm afraid when grandkids come I'll have given away the one thing I wanted to pass on! It's silly! I have plenty of things stashed away that are truly special, I don't need more. There's probably some of the regret of only having one child coming through too:( it' seems harder to let go of the stages when you only do it once. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I plan on saving all of our Legos so I can be the most awesome granny. As a kid I had a ball playing with (and ruining, lol) my mom's vintage Barbies at my grandparents' house. If I get to become a grandma I will reserve a room for the grandkids and at least have the Playmobil and Lego. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I just went through this with my ds16. We re modeled his bedroom from top to bottom including a new window and new closet. And flooring. He wanted to keep nothing. It was very painful for me, but I put on my big girl panties and helped him sort to donate, give away, throw away. I did make him keep his Legos.. And I took a few things to storage that came from his grandparents...... His room looks lovely btw and is much easier to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I would save the Legos because they're expensive and they never seem to go out of style. ;) But everything else, I would let my child decide what to do with it. It can be hard to donate/toss stuff like that, but if you haven't used it in the last year, you probably won't miss it when it's gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I'm not really sentimental myself and strive to be minimal- my plan would be (1) keep a small box of things of sentimental items and store them outside of his room, as someone said if you want to keep it I'd put it in your storage (2) legos- I'd probably donate some and box up some to keep. I just went through my 12yo's room with him, we took absolutely everything out and went through it one thing at a time. This was more my idea than his but I knew he would appreciate it being done after the fact and he has been very pleased with how it turned out. It is kind of hard to see them grow up and change but it is also exciting, it is a new season (and on the practical level it is much easier to take care of and enjoy your things when you have less of them). My son is able to display all his "treasures" now that he didn't have room to put out before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supertechmom Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Save the Legos (hotwheels, blocks, etc) that they played with a lot. My husband's favorite part of being a daddy was pulling out those toys and playing with his kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Just for the record, I love Ottakee's idea of donation of the legos BUT if 14 yo wants to, he can easily sell these by the pound. In like 5 seconds. To adults. And if he has any early Star Wars kits, those are quite valuable. I have a young friend who sold his legos judiciously and kitted himself out with his first DSLR...and he is making a college-money living now as a photographer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 3, 2016 Author Share Posted October 3, 2016 Thanks for all the encouragement. I think we made good progress - made it through the books and the clothes. I think we will keep the Lego for now, just not exactly sure how to store them. When we started looking through each one, there were some he still wanted together. So, we might try one shelf -way up high :laugh: to keep a couple on. He also had three of the Christmas Village sets that I will put with our decorations to pull out and build every year. I called the foster parent society and they do take the books. She also gave me a list of some much needed items so we will pick some of those up on the way. We also gathered a bag of t-shirts that I want to have made into a t-shirt quilt/blanket. That cleared out a lot of space and will be a good way to use those. He used to love those graphic shirts with Lego scenes on them, and of course I gave all of those away! I wish I would have kept one for this t-shirt quilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.