Time to Let Go of Your Grown Kid’s LEGO!

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Are you a de facto storage centre for your grown children’s belongings from long ago?

Are you downsizing and having to clear out your grown children’s belongings?

Whatever the reason, if your children are no longer, well, children, it may be time to declutter the basement, closet, garage, bedroom, or other household hiding spots of the toys, games, books and memorabilia from yesteryear.

Now, let’s be honest, this can get VERY emotional. Who doesn’t think their kid’s favourite figurines, kindergarten outfit, picture books, Barbies, LEGO, school projects, high school yearbooks, etc., are meaningful?

“Remember when they were young” we say…

Yes, nostalgia definitely factors in, so keeping a few key items makes sense. But you can decrease (or eliminate) the volume of your grown children’s items they no longer use.

Here’s What You Can Do:

  1. Contact your grown children and let them know you are going to declutter and won’t be able to store their items any longer. A ‘heads up’ is always helpful.
  2. Unpack and sort all your grown children’s items by category – create piles or put into marked boxes. All the better if they can help, but if not, just get it done!
  3. Give your children a deadline to come and decide what they want to keep. “Your items will be out for 2 weeks, please come and decide what you’d like to keep. I will be donating what is left after 2 weeks.”
  4. Go through the decision-making process with them if you can. The re-visiting of childhood can be a lovely bonding experience. Before letting go, enjoy the process and then, let them go. Life moves forward, new experiences abound.
  5. Consider keeping one box of memorabilia of meaningful items for you, and suggest that your grown child/ren do the same. Donate, sell, or recycle the rest.
  6. Feel great about the past, while focussing on the present and future.

Often, parents keep their grown children’s items for their grandkids (either real or imagined), which is very thoughtful. However, kids have access to so many things nowadays, and while a few select items may be great, don’t overload your children or grandchildren with too many items from the past. Be very selective!

As professional organizers, we know that this process can be emotional and daunting… and we can help at any stage along the way. With no more LEGO bins in the basement, we can lighten our load and focus more intently on our present and future.

Author Jessica Tudos:

Having caught the organizational bug early on as an elite gymnast, Jessica is blending her skills as an experiential educator, facilitator and author with her organizing skills to help people lead creative and organized lives.