Renthead Mommy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I was a little surprised in my playmobil question about how many people said they were keeping it for their grandkids. I always planned to get rid of stuff as we outgrow it. If my grandkids want it, I'll just buy new ones. We'll move a minimum of another 5 or 6 times. By the time we retire from the AF, my son will be out of college already. I can't imagine dragging stuff around all those years. Decluttering is such a major theme on here. "If you don't use, get rid of it!" almost seems to be the battle cry around here somedays! LOL! It just seems like holding on to toys for grandkids you may or maynot have, who may or maynot live near enough to you use, or may or maynot care about (the toys)just seems odd to me. Am I the only one not saving things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 You're not alone. :D My mother-in-law has done this and it overwhelms me AND my kids sometimes to play with boxes and boxes of old toys. For me? We'll...I'm on the Dave Ramsey plan and should be able to buy something new by the time I have grandkids!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 My kids LOVE playing with all my Little People that my mom saved. I'd love for them to have my brothers Lego's. I hope HE has them instead of my SIL's nephews. Some of the stuff i'm deciding on is still getting played with by my youngest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I get rid of stuff. My Mom saved EVERYTHING and it is overwhelming. Not only do I not have room for it but it comes with a sentimental attachment (on her part). So when she gives me the little Fisher Price farm that I played with but my kids don't like...it's much harder to get rid of it knowing she's saved it for 30 years and is attached to it. Now my kids will probably be the opposite. One day they'll be complaining about how their Mom got rid of all their childhood memories. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Not alone. I'm only keeping OOP books like The Inside Cat and One Horse Farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 We'll move a minimum of another 5 or 6 times. By the time we retire from the AF, my son will be out of college already. I can't imagine dragging stuff around all those years. I plan on staying in one place forever, and I still can't imagine saving children's toys for possible future grandchildren. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I was a little surprised in my playmobil question about how many people said they were keeping it for their grandkids. I always planned to get rid of stuff as we outgrow it. If my grandkids want it, I'll just buy new ones. We'll move a minimum of another 5 or 6 times. By the time we retire from the AF, my son will be out of college already. I can't imagine dragging stuff around all those years. Decluttering is such a major theme on here. "If you don't use, get rid of it!" almost seems to be the battle cry around here somedays! LOL! It just seems like holding on to toys for grandkids you may or maynot have, who may or maynot live near enough to you use, or may or maynot care about (the toys)just seems odd to me. Am I the only one not saving things? :iagree: not saving anything here either. I've still got dh's toys from his youth to get rid of. . .. they're choking hazards, too delicate, etc. so the kids aren't allowed to play with they anyway. Not gonna add to the pile of junk for later disposal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Now my kids will probably be the opposite. One day they'll be complaining about how their Mom got rid of all their childhood memories. :) There's a happy medium here. Allow your children to save a few of their favorite things, but insist those things go with them when they move. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 My mom saved everything and it is overwhelming. Especially the books! I'm getting ready to pack up some picture books and I'm going to have a hard time getting rid of them knowing how long she saved them for us... sigh. But I've also appreciated a lot of the stuff she saved. I actually wish she'd saved more legos. In fact, she probably did - her house was broken into while moving and I think a lot of it was stolen. My kids love my old dollhouse furniture. My grandfather got rid of all my mom's childhood toys when they moved from NY to FL - I think she never got over it. Hopefully I can strike a balance - save some but not all. But we're also not planning on moving, even once, so I think that makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 tracks and trains and roundhouse and bridges and..... I don't think anything will be made out of wood when my grandchildren are born. I've seen the clearcuts. Anyway, it is a beautiful set and my son loved it so very much. He spent hours setting up elaborate tracks and then crashing the trains so he could use the "Break-Down Train." Remember the break-down train? Getting misty now. I also have a gorgeous set of all the Winnie the Pooh books that must have cost my mother a fortune. They are beautiful and my son still likes to read them. "Mom, these aren't really just for children, are they?" Awwww. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 We save the classic toys: wood blocks, trains, Lego, etc. I do move the rest of the stuff on to other people. My parents saved old Fisher Price sets, puzzles, Lego and blocks, and it has been a blessing for my children when we go visit. I have also saved my pack-n-play. It seems to still get used by relatives, children who need me to babysit them, etc. It really has come in handy. It is a larger one, and much nicer than those they sell these days. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'd love to hold on to more stuff than I am but each child has a memory box, art box and I'm keeping their work. If either one of my children really latched on to a certain doll or toy, I'd keep it. My ds4 still sleeps with his baby blanket and it's in tatters. I'll save a piece of it for his memory box...maybe I should take a chunk of it now, I don't think he'll miss it. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyable Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I can't imagine myself saving much of anything to give to future grandchildren. BUT, my MIL has saved many of her kids toys and games(the youngest is almost 40 ;)) and she keeps them at her own house, so when her grandkids visit they have something to do. It works really well for her situation. She also has about 3000 sq ft for one person, and we're 7 in a 1200 sq ft house, so she's got the room, we don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 My parents got divorced when I was a late teen and my dad got rid of almost everything. He did save a few things, but they weren't really things that were special to me anyway, so now they're clutter because I don't want them but they're all I have. So I'll probably keep some of their favorites or classics of both books and toys and ditch the rest. I did get rid of almost all the baby toys up to age three toys because they won't remember them anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shenan Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm not saving either! I'm sure years down the road when the grandchildren all finally start to arrive, some scientist is going to discover that the toys our children played with were made of some sort of toxic compound that will be government mandated to be destroyed and taken OFF the markets and this will leave us all amazed at how our children ever survived playing with those toys all those years. :D Afterall my crib was a smothering hazzard, the swingsets I played on were too dangerous and the Fisher Price animals and little people were choking hazzards, etc., etc.. It's amazing I survived!;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've kept some of the durable classics: wooden railway, duplo, favorite tray puzzles and favorite board books. We are still in the Lego stage, but I'll save those too. These don't take up much room and have been invaluable when we've watched younger children. DD has taken some of these things with her when she babysits. If they last until grandchildren that's just a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I have a large & gorgeous wooden German dollhouse that I will save without a doubt, and a handmade gnome- thing treehouse that is a work of art. I also have a few toys I bought in England in the early 80's that I will also save. I don't know if I will save Playmobil...but at the rate we play with playmobil and given my sister's child is a toddler and plays with them as well, he might outgrow them (in 10 years) at the same time my oldest could possibly have his first child (If he had a child by 30). I can't say for sure. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 What do you do w/doll collections and snowglobes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm saving a shelf of favorite books and three ponies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Speaking of ponies...I am sure I will be the keeper of the Breyer horses my daughters have collected. I am sure they will beg me to keep them in storage until ...when, I do not know. But I won't mind. Even though there are many...many...scores of many. lol I love that my teen still adores her Breyer ponies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm keeping a few things, but not much. My mother saved a few of my absolute favorites, and I have really enjoyed passing them on to my kids, but she didn't go overboard. I don't think I will, either. I also plan to be at least somewhat smarter than her (in no way do I mean this in a bad way) and not put batteries/soft plastic in an attic that is exposed to the elements of both the winters and summers of Oklahoma. Planning is essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Speaking of ponies...I am sure I will be the keeper of the Breyer horses my daughters have collected. I am sure they will beg me to keep them in storage until ...when, I do not know. But I won't mind. Even though there are many...many...scores of many. lol I love that my teen still adores her Breyer ponies... Oh have mercy, we've got Breyers out the wazoo. I've still got mine plus everyone all my kids have collected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Oh have mercy, we've got Breyers out the wazoo. I've still got mine plus everyone all my kids have collected. :001_smile: I really love those ponies. Even if my dds decided they didn't want them, I would have to think long and hard about who might inherit them. They are so beautiful...and the hours of amazing play...well, let's just say these ponies deserve the greatest respect. You won't find me dumping them in a goodwill pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maplinmum Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I will save a few special toys. As a child I got to play with the dolls my Grandmother had saved from her childhood (they are beautiful china headed dolls from around WW1 , one her father had brought back from France ) I also had a few classic picture books from my father's childhood. I loved the feeling of the connection through the generations. I have earmarked some of my childrens favourite picture books plus my son's huge Brio collection, I plan on keeping them at my house as special toys to play with when they visit Grandma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Oh have mercy, we've got Breyers out the wazoo. I've still got mine plus everyone all my kids have collected. Us, too! I am thinking since the girls have purchased most of them they can just take the horses, barns, etc. with them when they move out. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Well I feel better about this. I was thinking I was pretty alone in this. However we did give away all a giant rubbermaid bin of Brio stuff back before Christmas. It was just something I always figured if we needed again someday, we'll just buy it then. I did save his first pair of cute little shoes, and his Harley Davidson leather jacket. I'm sure there will be things that are kept and still around. But I just can't wrap my head around keeping stuff for grandkids, especially when he is only 6. My grandparents had stuff we played with that had been my mom's and uncles, but it came out of the attic of a house they had for 20+ years when I was not even 2, and went into another house they kept for 20+ years. I just don't know people that live like that anymore. We are a much more transient culture now I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm saving my rocking chair that I passed on to dd. And just this week I was wondering when we could get rid of all those dang Breyers...agggghhhhh! But toys? Nah. I think they're over-rated, myself. If/when I have grandkids, they can play with pots and pans and big ol' boxes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Thomas railroad set, Legos, Playmobil. I'm saving those. Everything else goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm also planning on keeping only the classic stuff - Brio train sets, Lego, Playmobil & some nice wooden toys from Germany (and maybe a few of the wood Ravensburger puzzles). Everything else is unnecessary I think, though my Grandmother saved my Mom's Barbies which I loved when I was younger...My mom kept only my Duplo blocks & I wish she'd kept a few other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) I must be in the minority. I have vivid, happy memories of going to my grandmother's house, up into the attic, and playing with all my mother's old toys and reading her books. I can still SMELL the old books. I will never forget the fun we had in that attic. My grandmother had shelves tucked in corners and trunks filled with stuffies. Oh what fun! Guess what. We only saw my grandmother twice a year! So, I have planned to have a room or attic or cupboard, or some such place for my grandchildren with things from my childrens' childhood. I am saving mostly classic toys such as legos, model horses and such, but I do have a boatload of them stashed away already and my youngest is only 7. I may have to weed out eventually. ;) I don't save a lot of other stuff, like things they made etc. We take a photo and then throw it in the trash. But favorite toys and books - I would never part with them! Oh, and FYI: I have been married 25 years and have moved 13 times! I always find a place for my future grandkids' stash! And thier parents aren't getting it either - this stuff is for MY house for when they come visit me! My DD7 is already on the bandwagon. When ever we are trying to pare down the stuff in her room I will say to her, "Give Away?" and she will often say, "Nope, save for grandkids" LOL! Edited February 6, 2009 by katemary63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 It's highly unlikely that we'll end up on the same continent - my family is already living on 3 continents - so whatever I keep will be for visiting children and not with the intention to pass on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I keep things I consider special. I've spent so much time collecting toys from the fifties, sixties, and early seventies for my kids to play with...they're so much more interesting, original and inventive than today's toys. Even my in-laws, who are huge de-clutterers saved certain things...like LEGO and Star Wars. I get rid of a lot, but save what's special...I won't expect my kids to take that stuff for their grandkids unless they want it. But really, it frustrates me some of the stuff that my grandparents got rid of that is worth so much now...either in money, or in playtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) The Little Golden Books are boxed up, along with some special board books and cloth books that we read over and over and over. I've saved a few of the really nice Fisher Price, Playskool, and Little Tikes toddler and preschool toys such as nesting/stacking toys, shape sorters, push/pull toys, dollhouse, train set, etc. Also, ER's set of die cast Thomas the Tank Engine pieces were much-loved and I can't bear to part with them, so they will be saved for his children. All of these things are carefully stored in my storage room, waiting to be loved by little ones again! Edited February 6, 2009 by ereks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenKitty Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I am not saving much at all. My parents saved alot and by the time I got it, it smelled musty and old. I just see no reason. Save what you like most and pass the rest on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) I don't fall completely in your category, but very close. I do infact get rid of almost everything. There are a few special books, a couple of special toys, and playmobil/legos. I have a box of special toys from my childhood that my boys have enjoyed playing with, so we do the same. So far, the legos stored in the garage are actually our eldest son's. He played with legos for more than 10 years and just has tons of them. They will go with him when he moves out. The boys have loved playing with out vintage legos -- though we have very few compared to how many Aaron has amassed. Legos are just so expensive. We know Aaron's children will absolutely love playing with his Legos. As for Playmobil, Nathan and Ben may quite possibly take them with them when they move out for their own children. If not, I definitely want to save them for the grandchildren. We've been to the toy museum in Virginia, and we all love seeing the antique Playmobil. I never new that Playmobil was around before Legos. I really wish I had saved my Fisher Price A-Frame house. I saw that at the Toy Museum and remembered it being one of my favorite toys. I don't know what happened to it. I don't have a very good childhood memory, for some reason. Aside from that, I purge quite easily. I attack paper clutter with a vengeance. I am anti-frivolous kitchen appliances. I keep very few pieces of clothing/shoes. Legos and Playmobil (and my rubber stamp collection)are sort of seen as part of the inheritance around here, though it sounds funny. I had been planning to keep a lot of my homeschooling resources for my children to use, but changed my mind as books are very easy to replace. I will probably have a small shelf designated for special books, out of print books, etc. Oh, and our boys love going to my inlaws and playing with Daddy's old toys. They play Camp Grenada everytime they go along with King Oil. Edited February 8, 2009 by nestof3 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.