The Most Important Tip about Organizing Childhood Keepsakes

The Most Important Tip about Organizing Childhood Keepsakes

It may seem strange for a site dedicated to preserving memories to say that our number one tip is: Don’t save it.  Throw it out.  But it is core to who we are because part of what makes us so overwhelmed by all the stuff we collect and save from our kids, is that we collect and save so much.  

A child losing their tooth is one of those unforgettable moments

At Savor, we are as much about what to save as we are about how to save it.  And, as with any artist, editing is key.  Not everything is worth keeping.  That’s not an insult.  To the contrary, to keep everything is to devalue the items that truly are special or pivotal or iconic.  Even if we all had all the space in the world to keep everything, if you save too much, no one looks at anything.  It just becomes a big mass to look through.  

We created The Library to save just what matters most.  We toyed a lot with that line of our credo:  Save what matters most.  But also, only save what matters most.  It is intentional that we offer the box sizes we do.

The pieces of work that are the most important to savor

Keeping everything undervalues the really beautiful stuff they make.
So before you save all those sculptures or dioramas or art projects, ask yourself, “What would I want to see when I’m 20?  What do I want to show my kids of things I made or wrote?”  Chances are, unless your child is on a path to becoming the next Calder, it’s not the sculpture (and any professional knows some things aren’t meant to be saved).
The stuff we really love as we get older are those items that capture perfectly who we really were, who we might become.  Thus, my favorite thing from my mom is a letter she wrote about my twin sister’s and my personalities when we were 18 months.  I found it around my 40th birthday and damn if it wasn’t spot on about traits we would carry on into adulthood.  I’ve loved sharing my travel journals with my kids as we get ready to embark on similar vacations.  But not once have I lamented the loss of a pre-school scribble scrabble.The Baby Edition Keepsake Box is used to savor those objects that are worth saving

Savor's Baby Edition Includes Envelopes for So Tiny Treasures Don't Get Lost.

And if you have a hard time parting with these creations, don’t worry.  We’ll have lots of ideas for you to use those kindergarten paintings in the days to come.  Stay tuned.

What stuff has mattered to you?