I have all my son's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures (about 30 of them), 1/2 dozen 12" GI Joes', a Brio train, tracks and train board, and the other day I opened an old footlocker and found some battery-operated "land equipment" (bulldozer, cement truck, etc) that I'd forgotten I'd kept. Ever since he was born, Everett has been playing with some rattles, and Fisher Price toys that I saved from when my kids were babies-toddlers. Their baby blanket has become HIS baby blanket. I have a few of their favorite stuffed animals in my stash as well. Nothing is broken, tattered, or worn out. I kept these things from my kids' childhood mainly because I have absolutely nothing from my own. The older I get, the more I like reflecting on the good memories in my life and sometimes having "things" helps me do that. Unfortunately, my parents didn't keep anything from my childhood and the few things I DID have from my high school and college years (including a letter from President Eisenhower and another from the author, James Baldwin), drowned with most of my other treasures when my grandmother's basement flooded. My kids are both nostalgic so I figure that someday they'll really appreciate the things I've preserved from their early years.. I have about a dozen Barbies (all still in the box) that I kept for my daughter and I have all the books I bought them from pre-school to elementary school.

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