Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

What do I do with art that depicts what my family used to be?

26 replies

Oricolt · 13/03/2026 19:41

This is an odd question. I think I'm not in the right headspace to make it.

For 30 years I was married. We had a lovely and loving family life.

We were on holiday years ago and found a local artist selling brightly coloured paintings of cartoony people and we bought one that showed a family that matched ours: Dad, mum, 2 big boys, 2 little girls. It has hung in our living room for years.

I also have a framed paper-cut of us all - not really us, but people in a piece of art that match our family. The papercut even has our dogs.

And a little statue of elephants the same size as us: Dad elephant and two big boys, mum elephant and two little girls.

It all sounds horrendously naff, doesn't it??!! Haha. Try not to focus on that. Just some lovely things that are a part of our family story.

Last year my husband betrayed us all in the most appalling way. He shattered our happy family and left. It has been awful. The children and I have been left bewildered by his actions and struggling to right ourselves. I do know that while the hurt is fresh now, it won't always be this raw. I also see how important it is to the children to know that our happy times were real. I will never forgive him, but they will and they need to and I understand that.

What do I do with the art?

What did you do with your framed family photos showing you all smiling and happy? His deceptions have been going on for years - many photos show him smiling, while I now know he was already acting appallingly.

OP posts:
PensionMention · 14/03/2026 09:07

My friend swapped bedrooms and bought a new bed, her DD was delighted with getting the big bedroom with en suite. She felt a lot calmer after she did this.

I agree with putting in the loft, maybe your children will like them for their future homes as like my very well adjusted friend says, he is still their Dad. He also betrayed and lied to her and ended a 30 year marriage for the cliche of a younger woman.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page