If you have adult DC have they taken their stuff?

[YourLittleSecret]

Prompted by reading a thread on downsizing and de-cluttering.
I think it's reasonable to keep all their stuff while they are renting but as soon as they buy then I think they should take it.

Then it comes down to the sentimental things like teddies and toys.
I have kept a selection of good quality toys like lego and brio but I also have huge bags of teddies which I am now tempted to get rid of.

I think it's reasonable to keep all their stuff while they are renting but as soon as they buy then I think they should take it.

Some people never buy though!

When mine move out they will take their stuff, I'm not in a position to keep an empty bedroom 'just in case' - there will always be a bed here for them and they can come home at any time, but if that happens we will reorganise the room situation. I don't have any old schoolwork or things like that, I'm not attached to 'things'.

I didn’t take much stuff when I left home, but that was because I was moving abroad. Between the ages of 16 and 22 I lived in 7 different houses/flats, in 3 countries.

In my industry you move around a lot at first and it didn’t make sense to pay £££ every couple of years to ship it all internationally and keep it all in boxes as a small room is all I could afford. Now I’m a few years down the line and looking towards a permanent job and location soon, I will then take it all.

When I was 45 my parents turned up at my house with all my left stuff in their car, they said they'd looked after it long enough 🤣 I threw it all in the bin, what was sentimental to me once was just rubbish now!

Mum and dad haven't used my room since I left home and there's still clothes I left in the wardrobe and some books I left and I've been left home 35 years. Some of the clothes have been back in fashion twice over.

35 years is a long time. Did they struggle when you moved out?

We decluttered at various stages of their lives. Took pics of school work, art stuff etc then got rid. Haven’t got the space to keep everything for 4 dc’s.

However they still have some clothes, book and other personal items here. They stay here several times a years for days/weeks on end.

My oh is from a family of hoarders sentimental people so he still has several tea crates worth of stuff in his folks loft despite moving out practically 20 years ago. They seem to think it has some monetary value but it's basically plastic tat. We really should bring it here and sort it as it'll be one less pile of crap to deal with when the time comes to clear the house and garage of all the other accumulated stuff, 95% of which is probably worthless.

My family are ruthless (helped by a LOT of house moves) and I've not had anything at my Mum's since I left for uni, I have a couple of shoeboxes of cards, photos, gig tickets, that kind of stuff at the back of the wardrobe here that have survived 20+ house moves since my teens. Hoping my kids pick up the ruthless not hoarding gene as it's just a burden for the next generation to sort out.

No mum is a smart cookie . They are worth ££££

Ooh! I still have DDs Polly Pockets in the loft! I wonder if they will find my retirement!

They have to be in mint condition preferably with original packaging to really be worth a lot.

I said that to DS1. To be fair he took several boxes of books, papers, old clothes, most of which I would have thrown out. I need to be ruthless with the reminder.
DS2 isn't likely to buy in the next few years as his career requires him to move around. Pokemon and yugio cards anyone?

Once I got married and we had our own place my parents would bring a couple of medium size boxes of my belongings every time they visited. As we were a 3 hour drive away it was about 4 times a year and we went to them the same. We brought odd bits home after visiting but as we didn't drive we couldn't take a lot so they really helped us by bringing it.

The fact is it has to be dealt with eventually. Do people want to have to deal with it when the parents have to move because they can't cope in their relatively large house, or deal with it after they die along with dealing with the bereavement? Having said that I understand not being able to take everything at once, and it's hard to let go if some things, so I love the idea of taking photos of things for a memory album.

It'll be easy once my parents are no longer with us, it can all go in the charity shop/skip. Just not yet because DM is sentimental about it all.

Most parents want their DC to either remove the stuff or allow them to throw it away.