THE STORAGE UNIT OF MUM AND DAD

Because our own parents threw out all our stuff, we are reluctant to part with our children's memorabilia

- Richard Glover

There has been much talk of the bank of mum and dad, but what about the storage unit? There is all the stuff your grownup children have left behind—stuff you can’t throw out without their agreement but which fills every cupboard, every drawer and every spare surface.

Mine are the children of the Every-Child-Gets-A-Prize generation. The soccer trophies alone could fill a small museum. Then there are the certificates, the sashes, and the school projects bristling with stamps saying “Well done!” or “You’re a champ!” Only a monster would throw them out.

Meanwhile, my offspring’s long-forgotten hobbies live on in cardboard boxes—teetering towers of them, stored in the garage, shed, or attic. The home brewing phase might have lasted a mere 18 months starting in the winter of 2012, but here it survives, with the brewing tank, the bottle-top machine, and the bottle brush.

“Would you mind if I got rid of them?”

“Better off to keep them,” comes the reply. “I was thinking about taking it up again.”

“What about the food dehydration machine, purchased from Aldi in 2014 and used about three times?”

“I’d forgotten about that. I might pick it up next time I’m over.”

“But what about the mini-aquarium?”

“Once Pip is older, he’ll want it.”