Anonymous wrote:Parents can’t stop infantilizing their kids, it’s no wonder there are so many preteens who sleep with stuffed animals and can’t stay dry through the night. Do you still give him help taking a bath?

I don't know why you associate stuffed animals with anything except comfort and memories. Maybe someone hurt you as a kid and made you grow up too fast? Both my parents had cabbage patch kids and stuffed animals, they were very successful mature adults. My wife and I do too, and we're extremely successful adults. There's no difference between having them and other sentimental stuff adults keep.

OP keep them in a closet a bit in case your kid changes their mind. Then if you donate, keep some of the favorites like many others have said. It doesn't take up much space and it'll bring back great memories someday if he's sick or he has kids.

Each of my kids had one special stuffed animal. I wanted the surfaces sanitized, but was afraid to wash them. So I placed them in direct sun on a very dry 100+ degree day, turning each side for one hour, like a sausage on a barbecue! Sun really is the best disinfectant. I wiped off the surface dust/grime with a clean rag + water before doing so.

Then I placed each animal in the baby box for that kid. They have held up years later very well and don’t smell or look gross. I doubt the kids will use them for their own kids. But we all visit those boxes from time to time and those animals make us smile.

I don’t think everything has to be thrown away, and we are fairly minimal in our possessions. Just keep the special one.

My brother had a stuffed dinosaur that he loved as a toddler. He is very unsentimental and told my mom not to keep ANY of his toys/mementos and to throw them all out. He cried when my mom brought that dinosaur out of her closet and gave it to his son.

Anonymous wrote:My parents still have their childhood stuffies, just one each. They are sad to let go of.

Marie Kondo recommended covering their faces if you have to throw some away. Weep.

Why throw away then if doing so makes one weep?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your 13 year old said he wants a big boy room?

NP why is that hard to believe? My kids have asked for similar.

In those words?

NP

Why do you ask? Does it matter? It couldn't be because you're just a nasty hater trying to spread negativity and hopefully say something that makes a mom feel sad or worried or concerned.... For absolutely no reason. Can't be that.

Np here because it's extremely odd phrasing for a 13 year old particularly one who is ready to throw out the stuffed animals.

Aw. I still have the stuffie DH won me on our first date from back In HS. Maybe keep his favorite? It'll be a good change for him.

Anonymous wrote:Parents can’t stop infantilizing their kids, it’s no wonder there are so many preteens who sleep with stuffed animals and can’t stay dry through the night. Do you still give him help taking a bath?

So allowing to be kids amd not making fun of them for doing so is infantilizing them?

I still have my son’s lovey blanket and he is 25!

Anonymous wrote:Parents can’t stop infantilizing their kids, it’s no wonder there are so many preteens who sleep with stuffed animals and can’t stay dry through the night. Do you still give him help taking a bath?

Come on, this is rude. Obviously the kid is maturing. There's no rule that you have to be completely self-sufficient by age 4.

Parents can’t stop infantilizing their kids, it’s no wonder there are so many preteens who sleep with stuffed animals and can’t stay dry through the night. Do you still give him help taking a bath?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your 13 year old said he wants a big boy room?

NP why is that hard to believe? My kids have asked for similar.

In those words?

There have been so many bots on the teen forum that I picked up on this too. I have 13 year olds and they would not say the words “I want a big boy/girl room now”. They have absolutely asked for room refreshes, etc. but they aren’t calling anything “big boy” or “big girl”.

Thank you! The Tweens and Teens forum
is so wacky lately.

OP here. To the PPs, my son absolutely used those words, and as I said before, what of it?! If anything’s wacky, it’s that THIS is your takeaway from my post. SMDH. You both are what’s wrong with the world today.

To everyone else, thank you for your kind words and suggestions.

I remember this day. I took them to an animal shelter and they so nicely texted me a bunch of photos with their dogs snuggled up to his stuffies. I did save 1-2 that he loved and put them in his baby box.

Aw, that's sweet.

I used to manage a public library. We took the donations of a really sweet boy's two big stuffed tigers to put on top of the shelves in the kids' area. He was around the same age. He and his mom came in together. They were so adorable. You sound like a nice mom.

Save one or two though. Even if you give them away later, but you might not too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your 13 year old said he wants a big boy room?

NP why is that hard to believe? My kids have asked for similar.

In those words?

There have been so many bots on the teen forum that I picked up on this too. I have 13 year olds and they would not say the words “I want a big boy/girl room now”. They have absolutely asked for room refreshes, etc. but they aren’t calling anything “big boy” or “big girl”.

+1 this is language by preschooler is using (ie wants a big boy bed instead of his toddler bed)

My kids went through this. I saved each of their favorites. They both took them to college with them.