A family across the street is having a garage sale this morning. They have two little boys, one born a few months after Thomas, the other about a year old.
Little boy outfits are strung in the trees and bushes on their front lawn, and little boy toys, a bouncy seat, a bathtub and a play mat are lined up along the asphalt waiting to be sold.
I lingered by the window, watching a woman pick through a box of baby clothes, thinking about the boxes of baby things I have in my basement. The idea of selling off Thomas' things is unthinkable. I just couldn't do it. We've donated some items and given others away to friends with babies, but selling his things on the driveway? I couldn't do it.
It's interesting what value your child's things have when he never got a chance to use any of them.
10 comments:
We didn't have anything specifically for A, but if we did I don't think I could stand to part with those things.
It must've been really hard to watch that out of your window. I am sorry.
I have a book that remains unopened/unread because it was meant for our first child. I bought it the day I found out I was PG. There is no way I will ever get rid of it but there is also no way I will ever read it to M or T. It just doesn't seem right...which may seem silly to some people but to me it makes sense. At least he/she has a book if nothing else.
Like Denise, I have things which were bought for V which I have been unable to give to Beanie. (Some have as almost everything Beanie has was bought for V). But those select items, will never be used for anyone else and I will not give them away.
It sounds like all your neighbours have little boys. It must be doubly hard to be surrounded like that.
It's times like that really set us apart from the "normals". An everyday event to them seems so foreign to us.
I had an awkward yard-sale related event yesterday... I may actually blog about it!
The only baby-related purchase we had made was the stroller/car seat combo, and it sits in my MIL's basement. I'm keeping it, even if we never use it. It brings back such light-hearted memories of shopping for it, when this baby-thing was so natural and easy, happy.
Yeah.. I still have the clothes I bought for Jimmy. My favorite outfit I framed and is in Andy's nursery. Someone (a friend of DH) was visiting and asked if it was the first outfit Andy wore. I said, "no, something much more special." And that is all I said. I'm sorry you have a neighbor with two boys. I can't imagine how hard that is.
I finally gave away my girls' baby things (stroller, walker, tub, etc) to a donation group. My eyes got a little misty seeing them taken away. It is important to keep the things you really cherish.
There are things of the boys that I will always keep. Some of Gavin's things, I didn't use for Derek, because they seemed to be "Gavin's".
I have most of their stuff still. Having people paw through it at a garage sale seems wrong somehow (even though some of their things came from garage sales). I'll probably give much of their clothes and equipment away to someone I know who needs them.
I have little things of the kids that I have kept tucked away that every so often I look at and cherish. Anything I have given away was given to someone in need or friends whos little ones I get to see where something of one of my children...I dont think I could give away significant items in a garage sale...Im sorry you had to see that ((((((((HUGS))))))))))
I won't sell any baby things at a yard sale -- i can't stand the thought of someone pawing through them and dickering about a price of 25 or 50 cents. Even things i bought at yard sales (many of them), i can't sell them again that way. On the other hand, there are so many needy people in our area that i can't rationalize keeping things that i am not likely to need again...so i keep what i can't part with & donate the rest. Which is hard too.
Heh, denise -- Nicolas has two books of his own -- one is in his memory box & the other, bought after he died, is on a very high shelf where no other child will find it and demand that i read it.
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