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Original poster

Do you keep all your kids birthday cards?

40 replies

Upanddownandroundagain · 14/08/2019 15:10

I’ve always found them hard to throw away - they don’t feel like mine to bin, if you see what I mean, and I thought they’d be nice memories - but I’ve just seen how many I’ve got. I’ve got a 5 year old and a 2 year old, so that’s seven birthdays worth!

If you bin yours, do you keep ANY? Special ones?

OP posts:
AryaStarkWolf · 14/08/2019 15:12

oh god no, only really special ones

MuddyMoose · 14/08/2019 15:13

My sons just coming up to his third birthday but so far I've kept all his birth cards, birthday cards & Christmas cards.
I think as time goes on & his memory box fills up I'll end up having a sort out & keep all his birth cards, first birthday & first Christmas cards & then just birthday & Christmas cards from special people like grandma & grandad / family.
I know I'm going to find I so difficult to get rid but I feel like by the time he's even 10 we are going to be cluttered with masses of cards.

Chitarra · 14/08/2019 15:13

I kept 1st birthday and christening cards in a memory box. Bin the rest!

whattodowith · 14/08/2019 15:14

I have most of them somewhere but it is pointless because I couldn’t tell you where they all are. I’m also sure my DC won’t give a toss about them when they grow up!

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 14/08/2019 15:15

nope!!!
Kept the 1st birthday cards and that was it (granted shes only 2) but no no no to keeping cards and excess schmutter in life

kjhkj · 14/08/2019 15:15

I keep the ones they make for me. Thats it.

9nine · 14/08/2019 15:19

Yes! 9 children aged from 2 to 20 and kept every birthday card.

Started for eldest and just sort of carried on and now can’t stop lol

PooWillyBumBum · 14/08/2019 15:20

None. Recycle them all within a couple of weeks. Don’t want DD to have to wade through decades of birthday cards when I’m dead.

OtraCosaMariposa · 14/08/2019 15:22

No... why would you? Straight in the recycling.

BeanBag7 · 14/08/2019 15:22

Nah I don't have enough storage space for that and realistically are you ever going to look at them again? I kept the ones from when she was born and that's it.

TeenTimesTwo · 14/08/2019 15:23

I keep the ones from us but not those from random relatives or friends.

Both my DC have lever arch folders where we keep their cards, certificates etc. Also a large plastic box for other 'special things' such as a favourite toy from when young, their best drawings etc.

bouncingraindrops · 14/08/2019 15:23

No, because there is literally no need.

EskewedBeef · 14/08/2019 15:23

No, I haven't kept anything like that.

My mum is always giving me boxes full of crap that she's kept from my childhood, like greetings cards and school reports. I throw them all away.

JocastaJones · 14/08/2019 15:24

No! Imagine if your parents kept all that crap. They'd be giving it to you now to sort through and throw out. A job that no one needs.

Atlasta · 14/08/2019 15:25

Special ones from ourselves and grandparents.

Piffle11 · 14/08/2019 15:28

I kept the cards they got for their first birthdays, and the subsequent ones from me and DH. Also got all the congrats cards from when they were born. I doubt they'll be that interested, tbh: I went through all the congrats cards and the DC won't know who most of the people are. I try and have a cull every now and then. One Christmas my DM gave my DSis and I a bag full of our old school stuff: reports, pictures, poems, etc. TBH it just reminded me of stuff that I'd rather forget, so it all went in the bin. Felt a bit bad that she'd held onto it for 40 years, only for me to bin the lot.

Scabz · 14/08/2019 15:29

I print a couple pictures of her birthday meal/party and get her to stick them and bits of cut up birthday cards onto a bit of A3 paper. It then goes in a clip frame. The next year she makes a new one, we put it on top of the old ones, but have a quick look through the older ones in the frame.

wildcherries · 14/08/2019 15:30

excess schmutter

Love this typo ... assuming it is one :)

reluctantbrit · 14/08/2019 15:31

All cards go in the bin around a week after the event. Only execptions are the cards we received for her birth from family and the 1st birthday ones from the grandparents.

Luckily it seems cards are on the way out anyway, we only do grandparents and special occassions anyway, the rest gets an email/Whatsapp.

Original poster
Upanddownandroundagain · 14/08/2019 15:39

Yes! 9 children aged from 2 to 20 and kept every birthday card.

I don’t feel so bad now Grin

The Clio frame with bits in is a great idea, but I doubt I’d find time.

At Christmas I tend to keep their card to us and our cards to them, plus any special ones (like handmade) and ones small relatives have written.... it’s still too many. I suppose I’m thinking how precious the things my mum wrote on are, as she died a couple of years ago. But I agree that I don’t want them to have to go through it all one day and bin cards from people they don’t remember!

OP posts:
flouncyfanny · 14/08/2019 16:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Balladenny · 14/08/2019 16:31

I’ve kept ones from us, and from their siblings, grandparents and godparents.

I throw away ones from school friends and family friends.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 14/08/2019 16:35

Since DD(8) was born we have moved country 4 times (3 times for DD(6) plus an extra house move). It does help you evaluate the worth of things. They like the photos of them doing stuff and things they've made. They looked confused at their preschool uniform sweatshirt and old greeting cards.

akmum18 · 14/08/2019 16:36

I have kept every one, but like one comment saying they don’t want their children having to go through it all one day, I know I kept everything for my benefit to look back on one day and will clear out as necessary. I have no sentimental things from my childhood to look back on and I don’t want my children to have that empty feeling so I think it’s nice for it to be there.

DappledThings · 14/08/2019 16:37

I kept 1st birthday and christening cards in a memory box. Bin the rest!

This. Except in my case the new baby ones too

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