Friday, 12 December 2008
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Masterpieces Only a Mother Could Love
Guest post from spicycajun
My oldest is in kindergarten but ever since day 1 she has scribbled crayons and markers onto paper in random patterns. My parents bought her an art easel with a huge roll of paper. I have kept almost everything she's ever given me. Now that she's in school, the amount of paper she produces has increased exponentially. And apparently it's contagious because now my 3 year old has caught the creative bug like he's never had before.
How do I decide what to keep and what to toss? I'm one of those emotional and sentimental pack rats so I don't like to get rid of anything. In my weaker moments I've been known to fish things out of the trash that my husband has tossed. I do not look forward to having to make the heart wrenching decision on what to toss. I get overly emotional when it comes to getting rid of baby clothes and toys, so I can only imagine how bad it's going to get when it's time to get rid of things they have themselves created.
So how do you decide what to toss and what to keep?
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Comments (12)
Aww. I'd end up keeping everything in a box. Or several boxes. Cause I'm that really sentimental person...I have everything my brothers have ever drawn for me :]
@FallenReign@xanga - Same here.
I'd probably end up compromising...you could always cut down some of her larger pieces from the easel and use them as backgrounds in her scrapbook...that way you still have them - preserved in a safe place even! - and they're not taking up oodles of space.
You make a giant box of your favorites and hand it to them when they leave for school, work, whatever.
The rest you put up around the house until they are no longer popular with your child. He/ she has moved on.
My dad kept most of my drawings in a box in the closet and hung his favorites on the fridge. And yes, he was also a packrat.
Hehe how cute! Keep EVERYTHING in a box. I'm sure they will LOVE to look at it when they're older.
Frame one or two pieces for their room.. scrapbook (not the really involved type but just preserve some in a book for them later) some of the other things or even a representative of some from each year. Then.. If you'd like you can take pieces of the artwork and work it into a photo album along with pictures of your child at the age she/he drew it.
You can always gets some modge podge and let your kids decopage with their art work a little keepsake for the grandparents. And if they live in another town, let your kids mail some to the grandparents, aunts, uncles and use part of their drawings as 'stationary' ... they'll love it!
Boxes!
My mom regrets throwing out baby clothes and toys. She has a box full on my work from kindergarten and such.
Keep your absolute favorites. Take photos of the rest. You can scrapbook with the photos or alternate them in picture frames around your house.
I work as a kindergarten teacher and a very sentimental one too. I keep all the lil notes and drawings they have given me over the last 3 years. Though i only have so much space in my room to keep them so i end up making ATCs or greeting cards using their drawings.
Maybe you can get them to pick out some of their drawings and make cards to family and friends for birthdays and other occasions.
If they are random scribbles, toss it, but if it is an actual drawing of something, I'd say keep it and encourage drawing throughout their life. :) They will start bringing you home nicer and nicer art, and then you will be able to show them what they drew in kindergarten to compare!
My son is not even 2 yet, and he produces stacks and stacks of the stuff! At the moment, we like to give drawings away (cut out pretty areas and frame) as presents. When he's old enough, I'll have him help pick out things he wants to save, and things he wants to give away. I also use his large "paintings" as wrapping paper - family members love it! That would probably work for the larger pieces you mentioned.
You could also opt for keeping everything for a year, and then at the end of the year, have each child pick out five or six pieces they love, and just save those in a special box. That should give you a full (but not too full) box by the time they leave for college
. The rest, you can give away or use.