Question 

I am a retired person that still has leftover things from my children’s lives. While their bedrooms were cleaned out when they went to college, there are still things in the storage section of our basement and some items in their dressers that remain. 

The one time that I did give away some items, I never heard the end of it. The gentle ribbing keeps me from simply donating everything remaining in my house. 

Each one of my children has a home of their own and I think it is time to give them a deadline. While I do have the largest place, I do not feel as though I should continue to store their stuff. I do not want to cause hard feelings, but I do not want their things in my home anymore. Is it time to move it out? 

 
Answer 

The quick answer to your question is yes. It is time to clear out the items from their childhoods that are not precious to you or that you do not want to fill your closets, drawers, and storage. My theory on this is once they have their own places and are reasonably settled, it is time to move out the items that belong to them. 

The easiest way to do this is to place the items in a cardboard box and simply place it in their car every time they come. Tell them they may look through the box at home. Do not let them sort through the items at your house and create disposal work for yourself or thirty questions about the items. Just move them out. 

If you have children that live at a distance who never drive to your home, it can be a bit more challenging to give them their things back. For those children, take pictures of items with your phone and ask them if they want the item. If the answer is yes, they can either bring an empty suitcase next time, pay for the shipping, or plan on a road trip to collect. 

It is good that you are thinking of this now and sending these items off with your children. It will clear space in your home, make it easier to move if that ever becomes a necessity, and give your children their childhood mementos to share with their children. 

Avoid allowing your children guilt you into continuing to be a storage space for their childhoods. They are adults and have homes of their own. Adults manage their own stuff. It is reasonable to hold on to it for a short time while they are getting settled or in their early adult years. I think that many parents do that. Some of that is due to the transition from high school, to college, to young adulthood and all of the moving that goes on. Most of us do not force the childhood collections on the children in those years. You have done your part to ease them into adulthood. Now it is time to move out the remnants of childhood. I believe that they will understand.