To keep a 10 year old letter from ex boyfriend?

[sealedwithX]

10 years ago I had my first boyfriend. I was 16 and at the time loved him very much. When we broke up I wrote him a very long winded letter and he sent me one in reply. I kept the letter in my handbag.
Years passed and the letter remained in my handbag.
When I moved out I didn't take all my belongings and recently my mum gave me a box of some of my old things. Including the bag with the letter.
I found the letter but haven't told anyone about it.

Me and my dh have been married 6 years and very happy together. We have amazing dc and I wouldn't want things any other way.

The reason I want to keep the letter as in it he talks about people who have since passed away and it brings back some lovely memories of my youth. I no longer have feelings for him and we live in different towns so never see each other.

So, aibu to want to keep this letter?
I don't want to hurt dh feelings. I know if he had a secret letter from an ex I would feel hurt I suppose. Should I tell him about the letter and why I want to keep it? I hope he would understand, but again I would feel weird if he did this to me.
Or should I throw it and be grateful I had a chance to re read it?

Of course yanbu! It’s completely fine and normal to hang on to old letters, diaries, school reports, birthday cards... they’re lovely momentous of your past. Everyone likes to reminisce and if your Dh is threatened by this then he’s ridiculous.

YANBU. I've got something similar from 20 years ago. There's no feelings, just nice memories of a first, young love. DH might well have his own mementos, that's not my business.

I think you should tell him about it, can reminisce about the memories together and tell him about those people.

If he finds out about it later, or finds it, you'll have problems.

I have letters and cards from my first boyfriend too. I think I even have the necklace he gave me for my 16th. I have been with DH for 10+ years and it wouldn't occur to me to even tell him. It's such a non-event. I have a box full of a random jumble of things - cards, certificates from exams, newspaper cuttings etc.

YANBU! I have a couple of letters from boyfriends from 30-odd years ago, they always make me smile when I come across them. It's not occurred to me to tell DH, but after 27 years of marriage and 3 DC I don't think a couple of letters from old boyfriends I have no contact with would concern him much. It certainly wouldn't bother me if he'd kept a couple of letters from his exes from decades ago

Please keep the letter. You were only 16 back then and it’s an important part of your life. We all have a past and moment we like to be reminded off.

I think it’s fine. It’s like looking back on old photos or reading through your teenage diary. Different if it was framed and hung up alongside pictures of the ex boyfriend.

Totally fine. A non event really.
Do you think DH would be upset and ask you to throw it out if he found out?
I have pictures and letters from many years ago of old bfs, they are my memories.
Why wouldn't I?
I don't have them on display and I don't read them every day or even every year, but if I come across them its a nice memory of time gone by.

You got married at 20? That’s so young. But of course keep the letter, you’re not morally obliged to obliterate the past that went before your husband.

It's fine to keep but I don't know why it's a secret letter? I talk fondly of a couple of exes with DH all the time and he doesn't give a toss! If he had a letter from his ex it wouldn't bother me unless he was sleeping with it under his pillow.

I have old letters from boyfriends going back 40 years.

I'm 59 and have been married nearly 30 years!

I still have a file of letters that my first girlfriend sent me. We wrote almost every day.

It's OK to keep mementos of previous relationships. The relationships you have had help you become the person you are now.

Of course you should keep it. Of course your DH should keep anything similar, if he wants to. It's history, part of who you are.