What to do with old diaries?

[Anonymous]

I shredded mine. My kids don't need to read about my high school stupidity.

[Anonymous]

I have old love letters from DH. They are beyond racy. Bordering to x-rated. I am thinking I should burn them too.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother kept a diary every single day for 70 years. I have all of her diaries in a box in my house. I can't bear throw them out. She just wrote 2-3 sentences about her day, but her marriage, my father's birth, his marriage, my birth...are all documented there - along with trips to the grocery store, getting her hair done, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have old love letters from DH. They are beyond racy. Bordering to x-rated. I am thinking I should burn them too.

I have some of these too. DH wants me to shred them. I like to read them every few years to remember how we were 30y ago!

[Anonymous]

"My grandmother kept a diary every single day for 70 years. I have all of her diaries in a box in my house. I can't bear throw them out. She just wrote 2-3 sentences about her day, but her marriage, my father's birth, his marriage, my birth...are all documented there - along with trips to the grocery store, getting her hair done, etc."

I think that's a qualitatively different sort of diary than what OP has kept.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the perspectives. I've started going through them and pulling out entries for special days: My first day of college, day I met my husband, etc. Then shredding the rest. As I'm reading through them, I honestly don't think there will be a great historic loss--I rarely wrote anything illuminating about current events or university happenings.

Next question. In the same box, I have letters from high school and college friends. I'm still in touch casually with some of the more prolific writers. Do I offer them their letters back? Or send the letters to the shredder too?

[Anonymous]

Put it on the internet and share your feelings and thoughts. Others will share their thoughts too.