{"id":832,"date":"2012-08-20T11:43:51","date_gmt":"2012-08-20T15:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lifeasaconsciousmom\/?p=832"},"modified":"2012-08-23T15:54:58","modified_gmt":"2012-08-23T19:54:58","slug":"outgrown-clothes-but-not-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lifeasaconsciousmom\/2012\/08\/20\/outgrown-clothes-but-not-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Outgrown Clothes, But Not Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Who would have thought that cleaning out the clothes drawers would spark a major reflection and emotional downturn?<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s exactly what happened when I declared that it was time to sort through Caidin\u2019s drawers and weed out the clothes that no longer fit him; which turned out to be about two thirds of what was in there. From t-shirts to shorts to every single pair of his jeans, things were either too short, too small or too tight.<\/p>\n

As we went through his drawers he stopped to reflect on each piece of clothing, more so with the t-shirts, but every single piece had some comment connected to it.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have a lot of extra space in our house, which is a good thing, it cuts down on holding onto things we don\u2019t really need, but it also means that we are often sorting through Caidin\u2019s things, bagging them up and giving them away to charity or to the neighbors. Caidin\u2019s usually pretty good about it. Sometimes it takes him several minutes to get comfortable with the idea, but usually he does.<\/p>\n

Not yesterday though. Caidin was especially attached to each piece I tossed into the \u2018no longer fits\u2019 pile.<\/p>\n

Several t-shirts were pulled back out, to which he would say, \u2018I have a lot of memories in this t-shirt.\u2019 Or \u2018I really loved wearing this.\u2019<\/p>\n

All I really wanted to do was get his drawers cleaned out so that I could assess exactly what I needed to buy before Caidin headed back to school. I didn\u2019t want to spend two hours sorting through his drawers, but it seemed very important to him, so where I didn\u2019t feed into it, I let him talk about the clothes and pull out several things to keep.<\/p>\n

Caidin is not only a deeply feeling child, he\u2019s also a deeply sentimental child. People really matter to him and experiences and memories are very vivid in his mind. Oftentimes his memories include what he was wearing at the time, what he was eating or where he was when he received a gift.<\/p>\n

One shirt that I thought we could let go of, and I should have known better, was an orange t-shirt with a tiger on it. I remembered where we got it; my Mom and Dad bought it for Caidin at the Buffalo Zoo when we went for a visit. What I forgot, but I know Caidin did not, is that the shirt was one of the last gifts from my Dad only a few months before he died.<\/p>\n

There was something more going on yesterday though, more than sentimentality and sensitivity though.<\/p>\n

Later in the day, I noticed that Caidin seemed a little down, so I asked him if everything was o.k. He said he felt sad, but he wasn\u2019t really sure why. I asked him if he was upset that we had to clear out so many of his clothes to which he said \u2018yes\u2019.<\/p>\n

I shared with him my philosophy that if we don\u2019t clear out what doesn\u2019t work for us anymore (physically, emotionally, energetically) we don\u2019t have room for new things to come in. I suggested that maybe this was exciting since it meant he was getting bigger. (His pants that fit in the spring were 3 inches too short.)<\/p>\n

\u2018I know,\u2019 he said. \u2018But it also means I\u2019m getting closer to when I will be going off to college and I won\u2019t see you as much.\u2019 Ah, there it was, his mind had traveled down the road and this was at the heart of his sadness, getting bigger means growing up and leaving home.<\/p>\n

Sometimes we just don\u2019t know what thoughts are percolating in our kid\u2019s minds. We are so intent on getting done what we need to get done; we can easily overlook a deeply intense experience coming out of, what to us was, simply a chore.<\/p>\n

Growing up is part of life and we can\u2019t take these experiences and moments from our kids, nor should we try, but we can be there to bear witness, to embrace, to support and to help them make sense of what they are feeling.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2012 Christine Agro<\/p>\n

Have friends who will benefit from this information? Use the handy share options provided at the top of the article . You\u2019ll find Facebook, Twitter, Google +1, Email or click the \u2018share\u2019 for many, many other options.<\/p>\n

Remember, join me at\u00a0The Conscious Mom\u2019s Guide<\/a>\u00a0for more insight, guidance and to connect with a growing group of conscious parents.<\/p>\n

Have questions about your child or need support? Christine offers\u00a0private readings<\/a>\u00a0as well as on-line support at\u00a0The Consicous Mom\u2019s Guide<\/a><\/p>\n

Christine Agro is a Clairvoyant, Naturopath, Master Herbalist, Conscious Mom and Author of 50 Ways to Live Life Consciously as well as of The Conscious Living Wisdom Cards (Special Moms\u2019 Edition). Christine is founder of The Conscious Mom\u2019s Guide , a membership site where she helps support you on your own journey of living life consciously and on your journey of being a Conscious parent. You can also join Christine on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>. To contact Christine, invite her to speak or to schedule an appointment with her please\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who would have thought that cleaning out the clothes drawers would spark a major reflection and emotional downturn? But that\u2019s exactly what happened when I declared that it was time to sort through Caidin\u2019s drawers and weed out the clothes that no longer fit him; which turned out to be about two thirds of what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":495,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[364,11,16,3],"tags":[357,9,356,300,153,358,25],"class_list":["post-832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-back-to-school","category-conscious-parenting-2","category-conversations-with-caidin","category-life-as-a-conscious-mom","tag-childs-experience-of-growing-up","tag-christine-agro","tag-clothes-drawers","tag-growing-up","tag-memories","tag-the-conscious-mom","tag-the-conscious-moms-guide"],"yoast_head":"\nOutgrown Clothes, But Not Memories - Life As A Conscious Mom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lifeasaconsciousmom\/2012\/08\/20\/outgrown-clothes-but-not-memories\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Outgrown Clothes, But Not Memories - Life As A Conscious Mom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who would have thought that cleaning out the clothes drawers would spark a major reflection and emotional downturn? 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She has been interviewed on radio shows around the world, quoted in health and consumer magazines and e-zines nationwide and she is the founder of The Conscious Mom\u2019s Guide website. \u2022 Christine enjoys supporting women in all stages and phases of life. \u2022 Christine sees the power of today\u2019s children and seeks to support them in retaining their inner light. \u2022 She believes in living life passionately and purposefully. \u2022 She believes in the body\u2019s natural ability to heal and supporting that ability. \u2022 She believes children are conscious beings who have an unlimited capacity to understand and learn. \u2022 She believes children should be treated with respect and given the support and guidance to help them understand the world they have chosen to live in. \u2022 She believes all relationships offer us insight into what we want to learn and heal this lifetime. \u2022 She believes we all have the power to live a passionate and purposeful life. 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