He ran out of time sorting at the house, so I will finish his de-cluttering when I get home!

You're in my thoughts as well, Alice. ! ! ! G O A L I C E ! ! !

We had two boys nest-exit at once, and then 2 years later the third (a daughter) left. They all had in common exactly what you said above.

Because of being a ministry family (always potentially about to move suddenly), we lucked into an approach that turned out to be just right for each of their 3 very different personalities.

That is, they packed up the stuff that mattered most. We agreed to store it as long as we had this big ole house, but because they packed it in UPS-size boxes/weights, we also knew we could ship it when need/request arose.


And then we packed up the rest. We labeled boxes clearly as to which they'd packed (and knew that cared about), and which we packed (and thought they MIGHT someday care about). It turned out that they did want the stuff they'd packed, sooner rather than later.

BUT-- they also, each, developed a deep desire to see and sort the rest of the stuff, as they got a little older and had a little more distance from the home-memories. In some cases they came back to sort that stuff, and in others we shipped it for them to sort where they were.

But it meant so much to them that we had held onto it ALL till that time.


To this day, there are a few items we hain't shipped, that they are not quite ready to take charge of. Mike, for instance, is in a hot career-development mode that has meant a number of quick moves. The things he will want later-- for his own kids-- are still here, not in his frequent-moves apartment. Monica has not yet decided how she feels about some things, so I have the dollhouse Hardi made her that she was SURE she would never want-- but she just had her third daughter, so.... it's neatly boxed, waiting. Dave's cut glass decanters are still decor in his room, which we otherwise totally re-decorated. He and his wife sleep there when they visit; someday he will probably take them home.


Now, we do not have to pay for storing their stuff-- we just kept the huge but cheap rental house because WE liked it (and no other housing was available at the time). But if we had to rent a locker or storage pod to hold onto it, you know, I think we would. Because it means so much to them to have "last say" before something is gone forever. And there are quite a few things they prize now, that they first thought we should pitch.


If you have to pitch things, please at least consider photo-recording all of it for them. It's easy to ship a CD-ful of JPEGs in a card.

~Susan