Either this isn't normal or I'm a shit mum!

[SartBimpson]

Was chatting to a mum at the school this morning, she was asking if we got to keep all our dc's schoolbooks at the end of term. Told her I didn't think so, she said it's a shame as she keeps everything of her dd's. So much so, she has a storage unit . She said she just moved a 'massive' box there from Jan '19. Surely this isn't normal? Our dc are year 1 btw

I haven't got kids yet but.....nopetty nope nope nope! Not normal and I won't be doing it for our little darlings when they arrive. Tons of family and friends with kids and if any of them do this they've kept it on the down low

And renting a storage unit takes it to a whole other level. Mental pic of the poor dd aged 21 being presented with the keys of said unit -national archive-

What does it matter to you?
Some parents like to keep lots of things, some don’t 🤷‍♀️ Who cares?

I keep alot of my kids things but not enough for a storage unit 😂 what the hell is she going to do with it all

@ShartOfGold

Reading between the lines, this Mum was out to make he OP feel about two inches tall.

No OP I don’t keep everything.

Oh, you mean she rents a storage unit? Or she just has like a cupboard in her house?

Renting a unit would be a bit weird I guess... still don’t care though.

Each to their own but I wouldn’t...with all of my crew I’d be storing it at Wembley! I keep certain things, special achievements, certificates, things that they’re proud of etc. I wonder what she’s planning to do with it all? 🤔

Sorry Shart, forgot the LIGHTHEARTED flashing beacon

I have the odd school reports that my dm kept but I can't imagine having every school book I ever had!

DC1 is only in Reception and I would be onto my second storage unit if I kept everything. I have a box ( ok 2 now) for the special stuff. The best of the rest gets photographed and occasionally printed out as a collage ( think 9 A3 pieces of paper reduced to A4) or added to a photo book. The rest is quietly recycled after a week or so in a ‘special place’. I can’t imagine how much there would be by the time they turn 18!

Actually I think this is pretty admirable parenting.

Teach your DC that everything they do is pure gold and worthy of immortality.
Alongside "you're so brilliant, so perfect nothing you do is incorrect, the world is wrong,darling don't listen to those nasty people who say you might not be good enough to win the X factor".

Not creating future problems when the DC hits a minor hurdle in life and is unable to cope.

Nah, you didn’t mean it as LIGHTHEARTED, you can on here to slag off another parent for no reason 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, have fun x

I keep a couple of school books a year and some of the drawings , certificates etc.. but not everything !
That’s madness as they accumulate so much crap per term

Sounds like you fell into her trap, OP! Beware the competitive mum!

I originall kept all dc1 stuff. All books, cards, etc etc. When I moved and lost a lot of space I thought this is crazy, he's 8 I have years ahead of collecting crap.
So I went thro it all. Kept his first paintings etc and a few I loved. Kept his first English and maths book from each Yr.. So I could compare progress. I emptied about 16 storage boxes!
I then kept his 1st birthday cards. And birthdays there after I kept ones from us, and grandparents...
Originally I had kept all his number candles, banners, gift bags the lot.!. I don't know what I was thinking lol.

I keep a file for school reports and letters, that is it it I'm afraid, everything else went in the front door and out in the recycling bin

I must admit, I read your OP the same way ShartOfGold did. Of course this is extreme behaviour. You know it is. This woman may have made you feel small, but by posting this, it sounds like you are waiting for us all to say she is a crazy lunatic!

Wow, no, that's not the norm.

The only stuff we keep is things (clothes, toys etc.) younger siblings will use, definitely not everything.

Also, we get very few books from school. Some work that's been done on separate paper etc and some reading records that filled up during the school year, filled spellings books etc.

At our previous primary I was told they have to keep books in storage for 5 years as they can be asked for a selection of random books for checking at any time. (Academy, might have different ways of running it than other schools) I was a cleaner there and sometimes saw teachers going up in the loft after school and storing books, they'd then bring down the oldest books to get rid of. By that time most of the children had left for secondary so were not there to get their books and the teachers just didn't have the time to contact families to ask if they wanted them. I thought it was pretty ridiculous as it takes a lot of storage space and no one ever looked at them. Thankfully it was a school of roughly 60 pupils so didn't need the space a school of 300 or 480 or more pupils would need.

We also don't get books from our current primary of about 450 pupils, don't know where they go.

I have one of those accordion files with my daughters art work in form receptions (her current year) and have kept a few nice bits shes done before but I've not kept everything. I usually take a photo of her with something shes made so we have a 'record' but then it goes in the bin.

I know someone myself who keeps all her kids and grandkids artistic creations. I wouldn't have the space"

My mum didn't even keep many photos of me :( I don't keep every random thing but I keep the odd thing that I like for him to see when he's older. I doubt he'll bother to keep any of it or miss it if it goes though.

I don’t keep everything, with 4dc I definitely would need to rent a storage unit and honestly I doubt they would even want to look through it all later. My mum tried to pass on a load of old school reports to us recently when they moved house, and although we had a quick read, none of us actually wanted to take them home and store them, let alone every piece of work we did through our school years!!
With mums I’ve spoken to, most people do not keep the whole folder when they come home with loads at the end of the year. Keep a few bits, take pictures of some if you want more, and recycle quite a bit of it is very very normal so don’t let this mum make you feel belittled.

She's a weirdo. 👍

What for, would be my question.

I used to collect primary school stuff, although mainly drawings and such stuff, but as space is limited, it inevitable gets chucked away. No way I'd get a storage unit for it.

I've kept some stuff. Like when he blew us away by writing his name, cursive, completely identical to how he was to learn it. He was referred for extra help earlier that term for his writing. I was writing a shopping list and he asked could he write one. I asked could he write his name and BOOM... straight out with it, with all the correct joins and breaks etc. He's only 4.5.

The cute-sy stuff like a plaster of paris handprint from nursery... but just random drawings and shit... nup.

I think I originally kept a box file per child per academic year, but with house moves etc, I don’t think I still have it all. I guess a middle ground is best; if you kept everything it’s a massive amount of stuff, but I always felt a bit sorry for the kids whose parents put their pictures straight in the bin.

I don't keep them all because they usually give out one book with their main work and photos in at he end of the year! Each to their own I guess :) but 18 years worth a school books is gonna need a house alone to store 😅

Mine are adults now and I have a couple of books they made at primary school, a few school pics, bits and pieces, not much. It's all sitting in one little box in the loft. They found it interesting for all of about a minute but they aren't fussed about keeping it.