To Save or Not to Save

In these challenging economic times, saving is so important.  We’ve become adept at saving our money, saving water, saving on the resources we consume, and even saving clothing that can be passed down to younger siblings.  But what about saving another  commodity we know as our child’s art work, macaroni necklaces and let’s face it, their decomposed baby teeth?  Do they carry a monetary value?  No, however we still find ourselves holding on to all of our children’s “treasures.”

 When my first child was born we saved precious clippings of his hair as if he was the modern day Sampson. We saved his first shoes because we knew he would blaze some amazing trails when he grew older and we soon filled several photo albums of him because he was so precious and dear to us!  Then came the preschool years.  My son would “create” arts and crafts he was extremely proud to give us.  Bottle caps adorned with stickers to random drawings with swirls of purple and green (meant to be my husband and me holding hands). It became overwhelming when his creations consumed all the tape and glue in the house to attach objects together and hand them off as art.  My husband and I saved these joyful creations and preserved them in large plastic containers that could fit under a twin sized bed.

 Before the blink of an eye he was in kindergarten, and the stuff just kept coming…until one fateful day, our erudite child asked…”where’s my art work from school?”  My facial expression revealed the painful truth to my son…”Mommy, I said what did you do with my art work?”  Now, here is where a good spouse will take one on the chin…there has to be “a good cop bad cop right”?  I quickly explained that daddy must have tossed it by accident when cleaning off the island the other day.  I kissed and hugged him, and quickly sent the inquisitive boy on his way in the hopes he would forget this conversation.

 This excuse didn’t last long, as he started to notice a recurring theme.  Crafts came home, crafts went missing and daddy all too often “accidently” tossed them away. My husband became the recipient of recurring unhappy lectures by our son and he valiantly took it every time. (He’s amazing).

 My daughter now has also been bringing home work sheets from her class. She draws beautiful faces for us and doesn’t approve if her papers go missing as well.  How long can I keep up this charade?  But here I pose the question:  When do you stop saving everything that the child brings home and begin selecting only those quality, personable items that mean more and are worthy of storage in plastic containers?  Please don’t think me heartless.  We saved their clay works, amazing watercolors and a few pinch pots, some of which made it to my husband’s office. It’s not that we don’t appreciate their hard work and effort.  After all, it’s important to encourage children to use not just their left but the right side of their brain where that amazing creativity typically resides. 

  Ironically, each time I visit my parents they try to unload a box of my past. Everything from art work, to year books awaits me by their front door. I am touched and yet surprised that they held on to everything over the years.  However, as I heave another dusty box they preserved for me into my car I wonder, “Why aren’t they holding on to MY stuff anymore? Parents are supposed to treasure and retain everything we make and bring home.”  That’s when I got an “ah-ha” moment…I was reminded of how my children felt about creations brought home.  Maybe I should have a talk with my husband. We could purchase additional storage containers to hold more of my children’s artwork and projects.  Besides, I think my husband is tired of being my scapegoat and is done with lectures from the kids.