to throw away kids stuff?

[severinofinn34]

Changed name as my MIL is on here.

My sister's DD always makes me birthday, Christmas, Easter, Thank you cards which are absolutely lovely and I really appreciate the effort.

The other day I was sorting out my house with my mum and I found a box of these homemade cards. I rang my sister and asked if she wanted to keep them. She said no they're mine. I said I need the space so I'm chucking them out (not in so many words obviously). She went mental at me saying I was a heartless bitch for not wanting to keep stuff that her DD had made for me.

The thing is I've got 4 neice's and nephews (so lot's of keepsakes ) and a pokey 1 bedroomed flat. I just haven't got room to keep all this tat wonderful stuff that they've made. My other sisters totally understood- one of them popped around and picked up some stuff her DS had made and the other one told me to chuck it if I need the space.

AIBU to a) chuck the stuff out and b) to think my sister is a complete knob for having a go at me?

Put it in the recylcling but apart from that YANBU. I don't even keep half the stuff my own kids make why would I keep stuff that other people have.

Take a picture of each card, copy it onto a cd/memory stick, throw out the cards.

Yes, sorry I did mean recycling!

That's my other sister's attitude. She's told her kids she'll only keep their drawings and crafts if it they're done in purple as that's the colour of her new kitchen.

I have this issue with DS's artwork - I keep a few but take photos of everything else before I throw it - much better than keeping it for goodness knows how long taking up space!

You've all made me feel so much better.

I started to think that maybe I was actually being a complete cow but now I'm starting to think its my neurotic precious sister

xx

Your sister would be horrified, our house is a sentimentality-free zone. Pretty much everything gets binned pronto. I have a few things I hold on to, but I can't stand clutter. And I don't think you need stuff to have nice memories.

Chuck them, guilt free! I was a hoarder and kept all that crap. Now I keep until it comes off display (so 2 weeks after birthday or Jan 6th) and gets chucked. Same goes for the hundreds of photos of other peoples kids we get sent. I barely print out photos of my own DC's!

You actually had no need to even phone your sister in the first place. Same as chucking out presents people have given you.

I'm a terrible hoarder and hate throwing things away so I wish I could do it, like you. I have a box of stuff I did at Primary school in my cupboard (I'm nearly 29)

I just can't bring myself to throw it out. My DD isn't old enough to start doing things like that yet but I'll probably end up living in a house made of it.

YANBU. I don't even keep all my own children's drawings and paintings, let alone those given to me by others! I just don't have the room for it. I take pictures of them and then recycle them. Keeping every drawing or card that comes into the house just because it was done by a child simply isn't feasible in my house, I'd have cupboards full of the things :o

I made an art board for the kitchen and when my stepsons bring something home we update the display. We add photos and anything that'll stay up. Old stuff goes in the bin/recycling.

Well you offered them to your sister and she said No, if she cared that much, she'd take them. I keep a few things for sentimental reasons, - some of the childrens' pictures from when they we're little I stuck in a scrap book for each of them.

But keeping stuff that invades your life and makes you feel overwhelmed with clutter is daft. It's paper, its not your niece or any part of her or your love for her, - she probably doesn't even remember making them.

My kids went through a stage of doing vague scribbles on bits of computer paper by the dozens, if I'd kept them all I'd be in a channel 5 documentary

Make a giant garish collage out of all the cards and give it to your sister for her birthday, - tell her you'll be mortally offended if she doesn't put it up on her wall.