Dear Eric: I want to get rid of my junior and senior high school yearbooks. They take up space, I have not looked at them in at least 20 years, and I’m not planning on looking at them. The people are not in my life and I have the memories. I was thinking I could cut out pages with my photograph before disposing of the books. My husband does not approve of this plan (either cutting the books or getting rid of them), insisting I should keep them. He doesn’t think they take up that much space and the kids can get rid of them when I’m gone.
He argues I’ve kept them this long, what’s a little longer? We obviously differ on the significance of these books and I’m concerned when I try to eliminate other mementos or sentimental objects, he will make a fuss. Suggestions?
—Moving On
Dear Moving: Unless you and your husband were prom king and queen, voted most likely to succeed, and co-editors-in-chief of the yearbook, I don’t see what concern this is of his. Actually, even if all that were true, he’d have his own yearbooks to lovingly let molder in the attic and shouldn’t get in the way of what you want to do.
His sentimentality may be clouding his judgment. This surely can’t just be about yearbooks. You can, if you’d like, assure him that you’ll check in before trashing things that are shared property or more meaningful. But you don’t owe him extended discussion about this.
Closure is healthy. You got what you needed from these books and you’re ready to release them. Don’t let him clutter up that process for you.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
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