Do you keep letters/pictures/b day cards from high school boyfriends?

[Anonymous]

Bwahahaha. No.

[Anonymous]

Good lord, no.

[Anonymous]

This summer my mom gave me a box of letters and other mementos from middle and high school that had been in their attic for years. It was amazing how many letters I was clearly exchanging with friends - when we travelled for summers away, people I met at camp, friends who had done study abroad, etc. In college I got an email account (this was the mid-1990s so no one I knew had internet at home yet). It really made me nostalgic for the lost art of letter writing.

To answer OPs question, I read through some of the letters from past boyfriends, cringed heavily, and recycled. I did keep a some photos from prom, etc.

[Anonymous]

My mom found a ‘promposal’ from my high school boyfriend while doing some cleaning. It was cringey! I think she kept it though.

[Anonymous]

Kept some for a while only because I forgot about them. I found them in a box after a move and threw them away. Mainly because I thought what if I died and my husband found them? I knew they didn’t mean anything to me, but if I weren’t here to explain that, would he think I was still somehow harboring feelings for this long ago boyfriend? I though about how bad he might feel and I tossed them without any further thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This summer my mom gave me a box of letters and other mementos from middle and high school that had been in their attic for years. It was amazing how many letters I was clearly exchanging with friends - when we travelled for summers away, people I met at camp, friends who had done study abroad, etc. In college I got an email account (this was the mid-1990s so no one I knew had internet at home yet). It really made me nostalgic for the lost art of letter writing.

To answer OPs question, I read through some of the letters from past boyfriends, cringed heavily, and recycled. I did keep a some photos from prom, etc.

My mom just gave me all of this stuff too: a large box of all my high school and college papers.
I shoved it in the basement because I don't have time to deal with it now. Some day I'll go through it.
It has all my correspondence with my college boyfriend in it. I don't understand others who say that their husband would mind seeing it. Mine could care less. He knew I had many boyfriends before him and he had many girlfriends before me too. It's no big deal.

[Anonymous]

Current husbands are not relevant in this discussion because they were not a part of your life during that period of time in your life.

You can keep correspondence from those days without any guilt if you wish. It is a part of your history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This summer my mom gave me a box of letters and other mementos from middle and high school that had been in their attic for years. It was amazing how many letters I was clearly exchanging with friends - when we travelled for summers away, people I met at camp, friends who had done study abroad, etc. In college I got an email account (this was the mid-1990s so no one I knew had internet at home yet). It really made me nostalgic for the lost art of letter writing.

To answer OPs question, I read through some of the letters from past boyfriends, cringed heavily, and recycled. I did keep a some photos from prom, etc.

My mom just gave me all of this stuff too: a large box of all my high school and college papers.
I shoved it in the basement because I don't have time to deal with it now. Some day I'll go through it.
It has all my correspondence with my college boyfriend in it. I don't understand others who say that their husband would mind seeing it. Mine could care less. He knew I had many boyfriends before him and he had many girlfriends before me too. It's no big deal.

I agree. Keep it if you choose to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This summer my mom gave me a box of letters and other mementos from middle and high school that had been in their attic for years. It was amazing how many letters I was clearly exchanging with friends - when we travelled for summers away, people I met at camp, friends who had done study abroad, etc. In college I got an email account (this was the mid-1990s so no one I knew had internet at home yet). It really made me nostalgic for the lost art of letter writing.

To answer OPs question, I read through some of the letters from past boyfriends, cringed heavily, and recycled. I did keep a some photos from prom, etc.

So that time of your life is something you regret now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No and my HS boyfriend sent me a copy of one a few years ago. I graduated from HS 30 year ago. So weird and awkward. We are both married with kids. His wife kind of looks like me though.

So you want to pretend like that moment in time did not exist?

[Anonymous]

Who are all these boyfriends writing letters and cards? Mine could barely be bothered to text me, let alone write a love letter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Purged it all not too long ago. Don't want my husband or kids stumbling across that stuff, esp since it no longer has sentimental value for me.

So again I ask are you trying to pretend like those days never happened? You can't do that. Those days happened for better or for worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No and my HS boyfriend sent me a copy of one a few years ago. I graduated from HS 30 year ago. So weird and awkward. We are both married with kids. His wife kind of looks like me though.

So you want to pretend like that moment in time did not exist?

It’s ok if she has a copy and looks at it, but it’s weird to contact someone out of the blue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes or no? Regardless if you did not end up marrying them they were still your boyfriend during that moment in time. Nothing will ever change that.

Nope, never had any to save.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purged it all not too long ago. Don't want my husband or kids stumbling across that stuff, esp since it no longer has sentimental value for me.

So again I ask are you trying to pretend like those days never happened? You can't do that. Those days happened for better or for worse.

I’m not the PP, but that’s not it. It’s not denying that it never happened, it’s getting rid of junk that doesn’t matter anymore. Or maybe her boyfriend wrote a bunch of dumb shit about her boobies that will just be embarrassing for everyone. At some point you just look at stuff and realize it’s not that meaningful and just taking up space. If you want to hang on to it, have at it.