Keep or Toss?

I’m an only child. (I can see your face now… I’m not as bad as you think I am. LOL) Importantly, I’m an only child that has just given my parents their first grandchild. She will be more spoiled than I ever was.

My mother is particularly excited about the new member of the family. During my pregnancy – although I was terrified of telling her originally, being unmarried and all – she has been so amazingly supportive. We poured over my baby books and little milestones, looked at my miniature baby clothes that she kept (for nearly 30 years!), drunk in albums of baby pictures. My mom has kept so many little mementos of my coming of age, from the first greeting cards welcoming me to the world, to sachets of baby teeth and school achievements. She kept everything.

My mom was staying with us last week to help transition our life to that “with baby.” She was with me the day that Baby’s umbilical cord stump fell off. Just I was walking over to chuck the dried up little thing into the garbage my mother asked I was going to keep it. Keep it?! Apparently my mother has kept my umbilical cord stump. Yeah, I know. Crazy!!

I elected not to during that moment. And since then have started to think about the kind of hoarder – or should I say curator – that I will be as a mom. I’m already become one of those moms who takes a billion and one pictures. I even took pictures during Baby’s first visit to the doctor’s office. I’ve already saved her first greeting cards and the cards from the baby shower. Will I also be the mom who is shopping for keepsake boxes for all of my little girl’s tossed items or those things that remind me of her many milestones?

Parents – have you found yourself holding onto your children’s things that you never thought you would. How do you draw the line between the must keeps and must go’s? Is there a line or as parents we have free range to be as “kooky” as ever?

~ humps