A round of applause for my mother
Who I don't imagine will be reading this unless she's suddenly developed an addiction to internet cafés!
I get a lot of messages from people who are looking to re-build their collections after they either "grew up" and chucked out their collections themselves, or as seems to happen rather more often, had their collections ruthlessly downsized by their mothers. As an aside, I do notice that fathers do not appear to do this. Presumably they either a. don't care b. don't notice the house is disappearing under books or c. prefer to leave such tricky decisions to mothers.
I must now say my own mother did not chuck out my pony book collection of immensely tatty paperbacks, and it still survives. Mum nobly held on to it for a good 10 years after I'd left home, asking occasionally through gritted teeth, "Are you sure you can't fit those books in yet?", at which point I would say "NO, I can't possibly - you've got far more space," in that supremely irritating manner I am now beginning to recognise in my own children.
So thanks, Mum. I know I don't say it anywhere near often enough, but I am so grateful you didn't chuck those books out. Just look at what you've created by not doing so - a pony book obsessive who now earns much of her living through them. Perhaps not quite what parental dreams are made of, but still....
And so I did wonder just how many of you out there are now re-building your collections after maternal purges, or indeed, your own. There's a poll up there on the right.
Comments
Liz - I think that counts as your mother getting rid of it! She might have made you do it, but she was the prime mover.
After being in the same place to 20 years, they downsized last year and I rummaged through what stuff of mine was still in the attic, 23 years after leaving home. I don't think I have all my childhood pony books, which were mostly Armadas with photo covers. I think I passed them to a friend when I got nice editions.
I do have all my toy horses, dolls and kit, my board games and ornaments which were faithfully kept for when I wanted them. After hearing of other parents clearing treasured toys out without a word of warning ("hurricane Mom"), I've been very grateful to mine.