It was easy for me to give up toys and childish treasures. I’ve always had the opposite mentality of a pack rat. I like things simple and neat. If I don’t think I’ll use it more than 10 times a year, out it goes.

I still have my special collection of Winne the Pooh stuffed animals, and several other stuffed animals that hold special sentimental value.

I’m not so reluctant to donate my daughters’ old toys to Goodwill, yet I still have trouble with most of their stuffed animals. I guess I have some weird attatchment to stuffed animals…

Earlier today, my younger brother reminded me of my two plush dinosaurs, Bronty and Steg, who went on adventures together. Bronty was a slow-speaking Apatosaurus (mistakenly named “Bronty” as in “Brontosaurus” by the manufacturers) while Steg was his clever mute sidekick who had a knack for getting them out of trouble. A bit like Wallace and Grommit… except they’re dinosaurs.

I found them within minutes and have them nearby. I’m someone who does not like parting with memories. The objects help me remember. There were certainly toys I was not attached to that I donated to Goodwill, but the ones I named and sought often are still in storage. I doubt that I will part with them any time soon.

My mother and I are very much alike in our ability to let material things go. I just don’t like to hang on to anything that I have no use for, but of course I get sentimental. I don’t recall my mother expressing any issues with letting go of my toys. I don’t even remember the process, so I apparently had no issues with it, either.
In fact, when my sister passed away, my mother was faster than anyone to clean up her things and give away or throw away items or toys that belonged to my sister. I can’t imagine she was more sentimental with mine.

@muppetish My son had for years the body of a batman. His head and limbs were missing for years but from another room I could hear countless of battles he fought without a head and limbs. It always made me laugh. Still does. I would step into his room and there would be a quick silence and I wasn’t even down the hall when the battle resumed.
As for my daughter, it was the memories of her teddy bears and how she viewed them as being alive that amused me and drove me insane at times. Those bears were pushy at times.

My son hates to let go of anything. He cried for our old car which had been demolished in an accident. He still didn’t understand why we had to get a new car.

I’m afraid we have to resort to subterfuge to clean his room. If we clean out stuff while he’s away, he’ll never say anything about it. But if he sees something in a box headed out to Good Will, he’s all over it, crying and rending his clothes like a medieval mourner.

When I left home, I left nothing behind, it had long ago gone to charity. However, the 1940’s Lionel Train set my brother had accidentally got lost in transit when my parents moved from one house to another. Dad believed it was stolen by the movers for the rest of his life.

I’ve hung on to their dolls, legos, board games. The Barbies and Playmobil went a long time ago, as did all of the stuffed animals except for the bears.

Our mom never got rid of any of our toys. Not for sentimental reasons though; she keeps them around because we may want them some day and to have on hand for the grandchildren’s visits. She would like us to take them all, but has never threatened to give them away as she feels that they are not her belongings.

Of the four children, I don’t think any of us have experienced reluctance in giving away our toys or tossing them due to poor condition.