Ask Amy: Parents offer advice about emptying the nest
Dear Readers: A recent question from “Not So Empty Nest Mom” sought solutions on how to deal with her two adult daughters’ stuff, which was currently filling the family garage after the daughters had left home.
I asked readers to offer their own solutions, and this column is devoted to these suggestions.
Dear Amy: I have two sons. Getting them to retrieve their treasures was a challenge. They were simply not interested.
My solution ... I have been giving them their own “treasures” for Christmas gifts and birthday gifts!
Yes, the old impressions for braces, awards from elementary school, and many other “treasures” have inspired lots of laughs! Problem solved.
– Empty Nest
Dear Amy: We went through all of our kids’ stuff by ourselves and made a (small) stack of what we wanted to keep, a stack of what we thought they’d want to keep, a pile of likely to donate, and a pile of trash.
Our kids came home to go through each pile. They took what they wanted to keep (and their father jokingly offered to contact the Smithsonian to see what treasures to donate to the museum).
The most emotional group of items to deal with seemed to be the very, very dusty Mormon Tabernacle Choir of stuffed animals arrayed on shelves in our basement.
– No More Beanie Babies
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