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August 12, 2006
Cleaning out the closets
And breaking my heart
School will start here in just a couple weeks so I coerced Things One and Two into spending a day cleaning out closets, getting rid of clothes that don't fit and toys that no longer interest and delight. It turned into a wild rout of furniture rearrangement as well which mean that Thing Two's drum set is no longer in the living room, a very happy outcome for all concerned.
All in all, it was a highly successful day. There's room in the kids' dresser drawers for the new fall clothes that we'll shop for next week. There's space in their desks for new folders and books. Then, however, I started to glance through the stuff that was being given away.
Big mistake.
"But you loved Barney!" I say, aghast when I find the stuffed Barney who used to tell us he wanted to be our friend when we squoze his purple paw until whatever little electronic dealie bob that made him do that started running out of batteries making Barney stutter.
Thing One looks at me like I've lost my mind. "I was two," he says.
"Yes, you were and you were adorable. We'd put you on a table top and sing the Barney song and you'd dance. I have it on tape somewhere." I clutch Barney to my chest.
Thing One puts the headphones to his iPod back in his ears and slinks away humming "No Woman No Cry." Cowboy gently wrests Barney from me and puts him back in the box, but it's too late. I am lost. There's Sammy the Walrus and the ocean-themed sweatshirt that I didn't know glowed in the dark until one of the kids scared me half to death in the middle of the night and the toy steering wheel that made the obnoxious noise.
Before I know it, I'm sitting in the living room with tears rolling down my cheeks amid piles of stuff I've taken out of the boxes and all the Testosterone Americans that live in my house (which is everybody, but me) are staring at me since this whole thing was my idea.
I know that I don't need Barney or Sammy to remember the kids when they were small. I know I don't need the sweatshirts and T-shirts from various trip and vacations to remember them either. I know space is at a premium in my tiny overstuffed little house and it's ridiculous to hold onto things that we don't need when we so desperately do need the space for stuff we will use. I know I need to make room for all the new good memories we're going to make, but my heart breaks a little anyway as I put Barney back in the give away box.
Posted by Eileen at 11:19 AM | Comments (5)
Comments
I'm the same way, Eileen. I am a total anti-clutter freak, especially since we move so often, but there is a plastic bin of baby clothes that Science Boy fit into 9 years ago that travels with us from state to state. Same with Princess. I finally gave away the crib last year - crying - but I can't part with that last bit of their babyhood.
Also - I have a box for each of them, labeled "MEMORIES," that has an assortment of the best-loved toys and books. Maybe when they're grown up and have babies of their own, they'll appreciate it.
Or maybe they'll pack it up and pitch it when they clean out my house to stuff me in the nursing home.
Either way, it's moving back to Florida with us next year. :)
Posted by: Alesia Holliday ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 12, 2006 3:11 PM
Oh Eileen! *hug* We had the same Barney. He was eventually replaced in the coveted "pillow spot" with a giant frog wearing a crown. The frog's mouth zips open and occassionally my teenager can be seen wearing the frog on her head. (She'd probably kill me for mentioning that).
Last night (maybe there's something in the air) my kids wanted to hear stories from when they were little. Who puked more. Who spit baby food out all over me. Who colored on the wall and told me it was their art. I was telling my son how when he was small, the only person who could comfort him was his mom. He always wanted to be with his mom. He ran over and hugged me, snuggling for a split second. I miss that so much. He's much to "big" and "cool" to be doing it very often. *sigh*
~Lauren, missing when they were babies.
Posted by: laurenjharwood at August 12, 2006 4:33 PM
Alesia,
The MEMORIES box is a brilliant idea. That's where I can put the mobile from over their crib and Barney and the Spiderman toy and the special Beanie baby.
Lauren,
It is so nice when they'll still give you that special snuggle, isn't it? Thing One is a bit on the sentimental side so I still get the occasional cuddle.
Eileen
Posted by: Eileen at August 12, 2006 4:43 PM
It's nice to know someone else (more than one person, actually!) is as mushy about this stuff as I am. I try so hard to keep the clutter down, but I squirrel away things like their first Halloween costumes, special outfits, etc. My two are still young enough to have their blankies and their special nighttime snuggle buddies, and I will probably cry harder than they will when it's time to put those away...
Posted by: Rebecca at August 13, 2006 7:43 PM
I do this too. We have six kids, so there is never enough space, but I still have outfits that my oldest wore in pictures. She's 14 now. It's pretty sad. My husband tried to get rid of a box of baby clothes when we moved last year and could NOT understand why I cried and begged him to leave it.
Him: Hon, these are all for kids under 2. The baby is almost 5. We don't NEED this anymore.
Me: Butbutbut, those are PICTURE outfits. From their PICTURES. You can't just TOSS THEM OUT LIKE GARBAGE!
Him: But they ARE garbage, and YOU told me to get rid of all the old junk.
Me: But that is NOT junk. They're PICTURE OUTFITS. Don't you get it?
Him: Yes, I do. And you can look at each of these when you stand in the hall and look at the pictures.
Of course, I took that box and hid it in my new closet. He'll never know.
Posted by: dee at August 13, 2006 11:22 PM
