An Organizer's Dirty Little Secret: Memorabilia!

Whether you're just starting to collect your kids' memorabilia or you’ve been dragging it around for decades, this post is for you!

Let me give you a little background. I’ve been married for 39 years, have two grown kids (34 and 32), and my husband retired from the military with 30 years of service. After 27 moves, we’ve finally settled into our forever home. I have a beautiful home office with a lovely view, but all I can think about is the mess behind me in my office closet. Yes, I’m a professional organizer, and I have a problem: memorabilia!

For 34 years, I’ve been collecting, storing, and hauling around two large purple bins of my children’s memorabilia—along with scrapbooking supplies and photos. Like many of my clients, I found it overwhelming to sort through, unsure of what to keep or let go of, so I just closed the closet door and promised myself, "Maybe another time."

Fast forward to last year, when I finally had enough. I called my daughter, who lives out of town, and asked if she’d give me the gift of time when she came home for the holidays. Without hesitation, she said, "Of course, Mom! What do you need help with?" I explained that I had a revelation: all this memorabilia is really hers and her brother's, so they should decide what stays and what goes and what stays. I was starting to wonder if they even wanted any of it—and, if not, had I been schlepping it around for nothing all these years?

When my daughter and son-in-law arrived, we picked a day to tackle the project. I was surprisingly calm, even though I braced myself for her to toss out everything (spoiler: she can be a bit of a minimalist). As we got started, she mentioned that they’d already gone through her husband’s memorabilia with his mom. She couldn't believe his mom had kept his high school parking pass! I laughed and thought, "Uh oh, I probably saved hers too!"

The day of reckoning arrived. I dragged the big purple bin out of the closet. With a shredder and a trash bag at the ready, we dove in. There were drawings, school grades, prom tickets, homecoming mementos, and yes—her high school parking pass. We had a good laugh about that!

I watched as my daughter quickly sorted through the items, keeping what was meaningful and tossing the rest—exactly how I advise my clients to declutter. There were plenty of laughs, a few walks down memory lane, and the occasional, "Mom, I can’t believe you kept this!" I told her, “Hey, I’m your mom—I thought that’s what I was supposed to do!”

In the end, she kept about a shoebox’s worth of items. It was surprisingly freeing to see her decide what was important to her. Honestly, I wasn’t sad to see anything go because it was her stuff, not mine. Though I wanted to send her home with the shoebox, they travel full-time and live in about 10 square feet, so it’s back in my closet for now.

As a bonus, we also went through a trunk of her baby things. Yes, I had a whole trunk of baby clothes, blankets, and toys! I was more nervous about this round, but I told her to sort it as if they might have children someday. It was sweet to see her keep a few things that were obviously my favorites back in the day, but once again, we pared it down.

For anyone with grown kids and a mountain of saved memorabilia, I highly recommend asking them for the gift of time. You might be surprised at how little they keep. It’s a great bonding experience, and your closet will thank you!

And for those of you just starting your journey with young kids, here’s my advice: make a plan! Check out a company like ARTKIVE, which turns your kids’ artwork into a beautiful coffee table book, saving you from that looming mountain of memorabilia.

As for my son, he’s next on the list. I told him about the project with his sister, and he’s agreed to go through his bin the next time he’s home. I can’t wait!