Son Matt and his fiancee Sarah are here to clean out his stuff. For awhile, I sat on his bed and watched them. I think Sarah enjoyed a lot of the experience, because she got to see what kind of things Matt kept through the years. He still has a sizable comic book collection, which he said he'll keep a few years longer. He's still hoping it's worth something.
I told them both that I hoped they learn from our mistakes about just letting unimportant things pile up. Matt says he really doesn't do that anymore, and he's right. All the stuff he's trashing and recycling consists of the remnants of several years of growing up. Indeed, we moved to Maine when he was only 13, and a person is supposed to change and develop during the teenage years. I would have been very disappointed if he had the same interests and taste of a 13-year-old when he turned 20, for instance! So he has a good excuse - better than I have for the last few years of my accumulation; I've been an adult for awhile now and should have known better.
A peculiar situation - My husband and I are clearing out and downsizing, and here Matt and Sarah are looking forward to starting a new life together. We're trying to get rid of things; they're concentrating on acquiring things. We just want them to make sure they know the difference between trash and treasure along the way!