Rat tail = the new baby teeth

mrsconn23

Dear Prudence,

When I was in kindergarten, I had a rat tail hairstyle that my mom was very into, but the other kids made fun of me about it, and eventually I decided to get my hair cut. My mom was very sad about it at the time and decided to save the long lock of hair after it was cut. She’s kept it in a chest for about 30 years now, but as she’s planning to move out of her current house, she mailed me three big boxes of photo albums, random school work, etc., and in one of the boxes was my rat tail, sandwiched in a scrapbook! What do I do with a 30-year-old rat tail? I don’t feel right throwing it away, but I’m very creeped out.

—Distressed Former Rat Tail Owner

STARMOON44

Trash. It is trash. Don’t waste your life dithering like this. 

banana468

Tell your mom you kept it by a candle and it went up in flames?? 

I do not get this and FFS moms, do not do this to your kids!  Stop keeping their shit and then give it to them in the name of downsizing so it becomes their problem.

Signed, the new owner of a plate her husband drew on when he was 6. 

levioosa

Brother eugh

You throw it away, obvi. 

ei34

banana468 said:

Tell your mom you kept it by a candle and it went up in flames?? 

I do not get this and FFS moms, do not do this to your kids!  Stop keeping their shit and then give it to them in the name of downsizing so it becomes their problem.

Signed, the new owner of a plate her husband drew on when he was 6. 

Preach.  My siblings and I always have a side text laugh when our mom decides to clean out part of the attic one day and rage-texts us while we’re at work to come pick up our, like, 1st grade report cards.  I don’t even have hard copies of my kids’ 1st grade report cards (they’re in 3rd and 4th)…throw it out woman!

and lol at the rat tail…I remember a couple of my cousins having that hairstyle back in the 90s

banana468

ei34 said:

banana468 said:

Tell your mom you kept it by a candle and it went up in flames?? 

I do not get this and FFS moms, do not do this to your kids!  Stop keeping their shit and then give it to them in the name of downsizing so it becomes their problem.

Signed, the new owner of a plate her husband drew on when he was 6. 

Preach.  My siblings and I always have a side text laugh when our mom decides to clean out part of the attic one day and rage-texts us while we’re at work to come pick up our, like, 1st grade report cards.  I don’t even have hard copies of my kids’ 1st grade report cards (they’re in 3rd and 4th)…throw it out woman!

and lol at the rat tail…I remember a couple of my cousins having that hairstyle back in the 90s

DH and BIL both made the same style plates that MIL kept in a cabinet for years.  I thought it was cute. But when she gave it back to DH I'm all....WTF?? Dude you're 44!  I'm not going to display art YOU made when you were a kid when we have our own offspring.    And MIL.....they have plate holders for walls!  But newsflash: Your DILs are not happy that you saved this crap and now you're sending it into their house.

flantastic

MIL does this all the time too. DH has said a bunch of times, "You asked me to look through this and get anything I wanted. I did. If you want it out of your house now, the place for it is the trash." Yet nothing ever changes.

mrsconn23

LW, such a non-issue.  Don't keep stuff that skeeves you out.  WTF?

My mom would never.  My parents moved around enough that we had limited mementos and keepsakes because they were always audited with each move.  Once we were grown and had our own homes, mom offloaded the little bit that was left onto all of us.  I have maybe 2 tubs of stuff and then a tub of combined photos from DH and me.  We have done the same paring down for our kids.  

short+sassy

I'll be the odd woman out.  I often like it when my mom sends me stuff from my childhood.  But she is also vocal that she doesn't care what I do with it.  I think she got rid of all my childhood art years ago.  But has sent me some papers I did in jr. high and high school.  

I have definitely kept some of it and like it.  For example, my box has 45s of the #1 pop and country hits on the day I was born.  Granted, I haven't had a record player in 25 years, lol.  But I still think it's neat and it's not like they take up space.

My baby books.  There's a little lock of my hair in it.

It also had our town's local newspaper and the L.A. Times on the day I was born.  I probably only saw them a few times in my life, whenever she had my box down.  It was interesting to read first hand about the times I was born into.

As for the LW, I want to know why he doesn't feel right about throwing it out.  If it's because he thinks his mom would be disappointed, he should throw it out and then not tell her.  I doubt it would come up anyway.

ILoveBeachMusic

Funny story. My kids went to an elementary school that had a kiln. Each grade level made something specific. I kept all of those projects until a few years ago. I asked them if they wanted them. DD and DS1 said no, DS2 said yes so I threw away the ones not wanted. Fast forward to this year. The twins' school's art class for kindergarten made a pinch pot (one of the projects my kids made). DD called and wanted me to show her boys her pinch pot. Low and behold I told her she had told me to throw it away. LOL!