My boys are teenagers and have been for a while. But I have a hard time letting go of the toys, games, and books that they played with as tots and toddlers and funny young boys.

But our church is having a garage sale to benefit an inner city mission, so I’m doing the spring cleaning it takes to get a lot of wonderful memories out of the closet and into boxes so that someone else can make new memories with them. I think it’s a great idea, but it’s hard to do.

We liked to do-it-yourself on games. I found a handmade space game E created. I’m keeping it. And if I find space ship erasers, I will buy them to go with it. I can play it with my nephew and save it for my grandchildren. I remember the medieval game we created for M’s third birthday party or his fifth- we did the same theme for both. We had so much fun iwth it. We still use the bingo game we made from that time. We had a lot of fun making our own games and then using them over and over again.

I gave away the clown costumes I used to wear when the boys were small. I gave away the alien costumes from E’s birthday in 2000. We had girls from church over and my mother was an alien too.

I gave away the werewolf make-up, since I don’t do face painting anymore for church or preschool.

I put their chess sets from chess club in the giveaway box. I almost think I should take them out, but I won’t.

I gave away a lot of the dress up clothes I got because I figured their friends who came would bring little sisters over. None of the kids their age have sisters that young. When did we all get so old?

I love my boys. They are growing up. It’s hard to see that, to remember it, and to deal with it well.

This spring cleaning will be a bit harder than usual, because I’m throwing out the idea that my boys will ever be little guys and play goofy games with me again…. at least until they’re fathers in fifteen or so years.