Dismantling the shrine | Two Decades of Kids and Counting | Sally Torbey | Palo Alto Online |

Local Blogs

Two Decades of Kids and Counting

By Sally Torbey

About this blog: About this blog: I have enjoyed parenting five children in Palo Alto for the past two decades and have opinions about everything to do with parenting kids (and dogs). The goal of my blog is to share the good times and discuss the ...  (More)

View all posts from Sally Torbey

Dismantling the shrine

Uploaded: Sep 23, 2014
Our adult children depart for far-away places with the intention of being gone for many months, but leave their childhood bedrooms in a state that suggests they just stepped out for a jog around the neighborhood. Once I sort through the top layer of detritus, I uncover the artfully arranged artifacts of their childhoods: rows of trophies, thumbtacked certificates and class photos, stuffed animals, yearbooks, art projects, and collages of proms and beach days. My usual habit is to dust it all, so it is ready and waiting for them on what I hope is their inevitable return.

This year, however, when our eldest son departed for a second year of overseas employment, I felt an inexplicable compulsion to clear out the clutter, starting with his room. While we are still finding our way on this path of parenting adult children, I have recently become aware of what I do not want my role to be, keeper of the stuff. Our son graduated from high school over six years ago, but until a few weeks ago I could not bring myself to alter a single aspect of his bedroom. It was a shrine to his childhood that I cleaned and organized, even though he resides on the other side of the world. But our youngest daughters are now a pre-teen and a teenager, and having their own rooms will go a long way to keeping us all sane. The shrine has to go. Not that I can actually bring myself to discard anything, but at least it is all neatly boxed, stacked and does not require dusting.

With his room cleared out, the rest of the house seems disheveled! With seven in the family, we tolerate a significant degree of chaos, but with over half the kids soon to be out of the house, perhaps there is hope for maintaining some semblance of order.

So I move from room to room in a de-cluttering frenzy, and the piles are diminishing, but the carpet stains, scuffed walls, cobwebs, streaked windows, and grimy grout are now apparent. So far, I have hired a window washer, tile and grout restorer, patio power washer, upholstery cleaner, and a house painter. Who knew it could be so exhausting watching other people work so hard?

My new-found obsession with home improvement is probably just a way of distracting myself from the inevitable sadness of another beloved child off to college this week, but as coping strategies go, I'll take it!
Community.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by LJ, a resident of another community,
on Sep 26, 2014 at 1:59 pm

Big changes, Sally! I imagine each child reacting differently to what you do as they find themselves spending increasing amounts of time away from Palo Alto. The only one sure to handle the bedroom shuffling with aplomb is the dog even though he probably isn't too thrilled with the people coming through to tile, paint and power wash.


Posted by Sally Torbey, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Sep 26, 2014 at 10:15 pm

Sally Torbey is a registered user.

Hi LJ,
The dog finds vacuuming intolerable, so you can imagine how he reacted to power washing!


Follow this blogger.
Sign up to be notified of new posts by this blogger.

Email:

SUBMIT

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Palo Alto Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

Worried about the cost of climate change? Here is some hope.
By Sherry Listgarten | 23 comments | 3,431 views

 

Sign-up now for 5K Run/Walk, 10k Run, Half Marathon

The 39th annual Moonlight Run and Walk is Friday evening, September 29. Join us under the light of the full Harvest Moon on a 5K walk, 5K run, 10K run or half marathon. Complete your race in person or virtually. Proceeds from the race go to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, benefiting local nonprofits that serve families and children in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

REGISTER