Memories are made of special times with our sons. They could consist of Christmas morning, First Communion, Graduation, First Job, anything that is a special moment for you and him. But memories are more than just special occasions. Some of the memories you might have with your son might be the simplest of moments, no matter how old your son is.
I know it might seem like pulling teeth to ask your son to clean out the basement, attic, or the garage. And eventually he will help you; it just might not be when you ask him to. If you ask him to clean out an area that is stored with stuff from your parents, or when you were little or even when he was little, it can be fun as well as a learning experience.
I have a 20’ x 12’ “shop”. I put the word shop in quotes as that was what it was intended for at the time of purchase. However at one time it turned into Boy Scout Central with tents, camping stoves, lanterns, special awards, and various sizes of cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens. (To this day I still cook many things in Dutch Ovens just because they are so good!) From that point on it became an advertisement for Bass Pro Shops. I was always afraid to go in there for fear of getting a hook in my forehead. And then………
My mother moved in with us. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted that, in fact I insisted upon it and so did my husband. She lived only across the next lot, but she was by herself with a bad hip. Maybe it was selfish, but I felt a lot better with her being with us. We have always been a team and my house without her felt strange. And with her came her entire house. We have gone from a full basement, full cellar, and 17 rooms in New York to her home in Florida. There must be a rule about Florida homes, no storage of any kind. Then she moved in with us. So now, you can guess what the shop is used for now. Yup, you guessed it, boxes and boxes and boxes of “stuff”. Now I use stuff in quotation marks because I am not saying it’s just junk. There are beautiful, wonderful things stored in those boxes. But I doubt that the magazines from 1972 of crochet patterns are any longer needed. She might not agree with me; however they are in the removal pile.
So here come the memories. My sons and a best friend, my husband and myself are out there deciding what it is to begin with, and if it is necessary for mom to take a look. Now I am not denying my mother of her memories but we examine each piece, look it all over, try to remember where it came from and when and who gave it to her and we put it one pile. At a mere 70 boxes this could take awhile.
But it has been fun, and some at my mother’s expense, to go through these things with my boys. They got a kick out of an old 8mm movie camera. They thought some of the knick knacks were oh so stunning. They found old photos of my mom, me and even a few of themselves. They found more mugs than they could count and decided we could open our own coffee house. Oh yes, don’t forget the redecorating of the 70s when everything had to be orange, green, and yellow.
Cleaning out a pile of has beens can’t be all bad. So far it has been an afternoon of laughing, sneezing and “Throw it in the burn pile before she comes back here!” I recommend a journey down memory lane with your son. Yes it’s a lot of work. Yes it’s a pain in the neck. But this has been a fun and funny day. So roll up your sleeves, get your sneakers on, take your allergy pills and enjoy a laugh or two. Have fun?