Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Confession


I have to get something off my chest that has been bothering me for about 3 years.... I DON'T KEEP ALL OF MY CHILDS ART PROJECTS  ::Gasp:: I know! I'm a horrible Mom! Lock me up now!

So, before you judge me, and I know some will, but that's ok- let me explain.  Carter goes to daycare.  Everday. From 8-5.  That's a LOT of time for crafty little projects.  If I kept ALL of his pieces of paper with a little scribble on them I would be swimming in papers and my husband just might file for divorce...maybe...ok probably not but you get the point right?
I do keep some of them.  Usually the ones that has some sort of body part imprint on them like hands or feet.  I like to see how he grows over the years. Sometimes we will hang something on the fridge that he's made for a week or 2 and then in the garbage it goes.  Does anyone have an alternative though besides the garbage or keeping everything? How do you decide what stays and what goes?  I've heard of some people that take pictures of the project and then make an album or scrapbook of the pictures.  I could try that route.
My Mom kept a lot of my projects but I don't know if she kept ALL of them (Mom  you can weigh in on this because I know you're probably reading it!)  I just found a bunch of stuff in storage that my Mom kept for me and it was a lot of fun to look through, but now what?  Do I get it out every few years and say "Oh I remember that?" I'm pretty sure Carter won't care to look at a picture that his Mom drew when she was 12. That's the thing with boys too, Is he really going to care if I keep this stuff for him when he is 26? I'm thinking not.
So Mom's out there weigh in on this for me.  Do you keep everything your child/ren make and what do you do with it?  Non-Moms,  do you have stuff that your parents kept for you? Do you care that they kept it and do you think you will keep your kids stuff if you plan to have children?

Okay, commence the judging...I'm ready for it. I think. :)


6 comments:

  1. ME judge? NEVER! No, I didn't keep ALL your artwork...just the special ones...and I've recently found some more so I hope I haven't ruined your next birthday surprise! :) I have a handful of specials that my mom kept for me...and yes at age 50...they are still special to me. Carter is a boy so he probably won't care. It will be worth it to keep them for him, but only keep the special ones! Love, mom xoxoxo

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  2. i dont keep brady's stuff. it's just scribbles at this point, on paper that has no special meaning. someday i will start to keep stuff but for now i do like you do: on the fridge and then in the trash! he's not even old enough to be proud of his "art" yet, so we dont bother keeping it :)

    cassie

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  3. Okay, so I don't have children, but I saw something on some HGTV show (Mission:Organization maybe??) where the mom was tackling this exact problem, times 3 (she had triplets)! The organizational expert recommending keeping a bin for each child and putting everything into it, then go through once a year, select maybe 20 favorite pieces, and scan them all. Compile the scanned images into a hardbound photo book (like Snapfish, Shutterfly) - for approximately 20 bucks, you have a really neat and clean way to flip through art projects of that year, doesn't take up nearly as much room, and is much neater than a pile or box of loose papers. Let the actual projects go and save the photo book only. This is maybe easier said than done if you're sentimental, I've always wondered if I'm missing some heart, since it's so easy for me to toss things. :)

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  4. No kids for me either but my mom is the classic example of a proud mamma who keeps EVERYTHING! Since they're in the process of selling their house she's been going through lots of boxes and trying to give them to me for my future kids to look at someday. I assured her that my second place ribbon from the country club swim team is not going to prove to anyone that I know how to swim. Into the toss pile! Everyone once in awhile she'll show me something super entertaining - a book of poems my 5th grade classmates wrote, but even that I could have lived without. I love Liz's suggestion!!!

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  5. Oh heck no!! Sometimes I throw them away just minutes after completion. You know when to keep the good stuff. ;)

    Blessings-
    Amanda

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  6. This is a great post because it makes me realise how much you can't actually keep. I'm not a mum but I am a doting auntie and I end up keeping everything my sister doesnt want that the kids have made or drawn and I have piles of it. I am so proud of them for what they cerat but you're right, you just cant keep them all! x

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