My daughter is cleaning out her room. Not only is she returning to college in a few weeks, her youngest brother is moving into her space when she leaves. So she’s packing up all the things she isn’t taking to school to store them for later. It’s been an interesting process. I remember being her age. I didn’t want to let go of anything! Everything had sentimental value!
She is a bit like me that way, although she has definitely trashed and given away more than I did at her age. But I’m not pushing her to purge. I know when she goes through that stuff again in one year or three years, she’ll find more she can let go of, more that doesn’t feel necessary to her life and memories.
So I smile as she sorts through the pieces of her nineteen years. I laugh as she chooses what to keep and what to give away, explaining her reasoning and her stories behind each piece. And yes, my eyes even mist over occasionally as I realize its another step in the process of growing up and moving on to her own life.