Cherishing the Baby Years

By Charlene Thompson

In this article:
You're Not Alone
Are You Ready to Give it Away?
A Concrete (or Bronze) Solution
Memories To Share
New Memories To Cherish

Reminiscing, wishing to imprint the precious moments of our children's babyhoods on our memories forever while simultaneously urging them on to the next stage of life...It's not always easy watching our children grow!

I'm in the car crying…wailing, is a more adequate description. I just sold a box of memories for 45 bucks.

The Xerox box marked "baby items to sell" was in my closet for eight months. I moved it in and out of the closet several times. In the hall it stood for a week, awaiting its fate, which I knew would be one of the most difficult things I'd have to do. I thought once I'd placed it in the car I'd have cleared the biggest obstacle, but instead I drove the box around for two more weeks.

Finally, I found myself in the used baby clothes store. The lady behind the counter examined each item for stains and non-working zippers, but all I thought about was how adorable each one of my babies had looked in those sleepers—so tiny, so precious. I'll never see them that small again. When she handed me the money, I did not dare turn back and look, for fear of jumping on top of the box and declaring, "I can't do this!"

Each outfit brings memories and emotions of, "I remember when…". Babies are such beautiful, perfect, needy beings. They have gorgeous, soft skin and dimply bums. Don't even get me started on how euphoric it is to have a baby fall asleep in your arms or while feeding. Who wants to lose that?

You're Not Alone

I needed to talk this out with other moms who have been through the same thing. As the e-mail replies started coming in to my query, each opened with, "I'm crying as I write this…." I began to feel better and took heart from other women's stories of and remedies for MMS—the Melancholy Mama Syndrome.

For Heather, it was the car seat. "I look back now in my rear view mirror and see two toddlers." With the money she received from selling her baby car seat, she bought a bracelet for her daughter. "I can tell her, 'I bought this with your old baby items.'" Moms may take comfort in purchasing something tangible they can see or enjoy—something for themselves or a special toy or item for their children.

One mom gave herself a day at the spa from the proceeds of selling all her maternity clothes.

Denise donated all her baby things and maternity clothes to a shelter for pregnant women. "It made me feel good knowing that these items were going to someone who really needs them. That helped ease my own pain."

Nancy uses music to ease her MMS. "I have a lullabies CD that I've burned six copies of. I've rocked each of my kids to that music. When I miss my baby boys, I play that music and they are back in my arms again. I'll never forget."

I sold our bigger items, such as the bassinet and baby swing, using free ad listings. It takes a little more work, but I met a lot of new moms and dads. I saw the excitement of impending parenthood in their faces. In return, they received some unsolicited parenting advice.