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

[Anonymous]

Sure do. I love having the memories. Those relationships were important to me at the time and part of who I ultimately became. Only kept stuff from “serious” relationships.

[Anonymous]

No way. I move often so I purge with every move. I have memories of those times and days, I don't need tangible mementos that won't mean anything to anyone but me.

[Anonymous]

The 14 year olds are back on DCUM. please go away.

[Anonymous]

Yes

[Anonymous]

No. I found some recently that I didn't realize I had. Counted my blessings that I didn't end up with that guy and tossed the letters in the trash!

[Anonymous]

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

Different generations. I was already late 20s by the time texting was a thing… Most of us didn’t even have email in college, let alone high school.

[Anonymous]

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

Some of us are over 40, Madison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Speak for yourself.

[Anonymous]

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

Love letters are from the days before texting.

[Anonymous]

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

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anybody who keeps them after age 25 either peaked in high school or has hoarder tendencies. Neither is inherently bad. But no I didn’t keep mine.

???

I have a few. I've done KonMari, they're nice memories, no big deal.

[Anonymous]

Cards no, panties yes.

[Anonymous]

Stop lying. You know you still think about him and what could have been.

[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 mother threw them out without asking me. My husband (not the boyfriend) was furious, because he went through early losses of family members and values these kind of mementos for anyone.

[Anonymous]

If they're meaningless to you, then why WOULD you keep them? That makes sense to me.

But those of you who ritually burn all mementos from previous relationships in a bonfire because There Can Be Only One and What If My Husband Found Them are weirding me out. Especially those of you who mutually made such a pact with your spouse. Needing to draw that hard of a line is... concerning to me.

And yes, I have a couple of things hanging around-- photos, a card or two. I remember my two HS boyfriends fondly. They're my Facebook friends. It was HS, for goodness' sake.