How do we go through our children's artwork and decide what to let go of?
Not every piece of artwork is essential.
Try to imagine that you’re going through boxes of your kids’ schoolwork created years ago and are able to let them go with ease. You look at paper after paper and appreciate the beauty of that time and place, and the special period that your child was at. You hold it, feel the emotion, then let it go and smile to yourself. In that moment you are able to appreciate the memories that the paper evokes, while understanding that you can always revisit that period in your heart; you can always recall their childhood at various stages, and all of the parenting highs and lows that accompanied their growth. When we allow ourselves the time to be with our emotions, be it longing or feeling loved, we are far more equipped to differentiate between what really feels “essential” to hold onto and what’s merely being held because of fear of losing a memory or relationship.
Keeping it now, doesn’t mean keeping it forever.
If it’s too hard to contemplate letting pieces go now, no problem. Display them or store them - whatever feels comfortable. However, chose to REVISIT the artwork at a later date. I recommend in a few months, when the sentimental pull has let yup, and you will likely be more able to make a decision about what you truly wish to keep for the long haul. Knowing that you can revisit your decision to hold onto to something is both freeing and exciting! If you are trying to make changes in your home to hold onto less, then commit to doing this act of revisiting your children’s stuff, so that you can create real change for you and your family. It is empowering to know that you have the decision making power to let things go that you don’t want and don’t need.
Can time work to your benefit rather than your disadvantage?
We often assume that the passage of time will make it harder to let go because the pull of sentimentality seems to grow with every passing year. But perhaps we can look at father time differently, imagining that as we grow, our ability to deepen our relationship with what is essential and let go of what is non-essential actually strengthens. Yes, feeling sentimental is a powerful emotion that can keep you stuck and unable to part with your things. However, if you allow your emotions that arise to actually be felt, to be truly given time to be seen, expressed, and heard, you may come to realize that what you are sentimental for lives on in you; the child of 2 and 8, and the teen of 12. Everything that those years encompassed live on within your heart and mind. As such, every item that was ever created in those years need not remain in your home, boxed up, never seen or touched. You can let them go while continuing to hold the sweetness, complexity, and beauty of their childhood years.
Do we need to hold onto it all in order to be reminded of the past?
Is it possible to imagine a future where you can feel the love and deep connection with your child without holding all of their possessions?
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