Empty Nest Parents Wonder

Keep the foosball table or get rid of it?  If we do get rid of it, give it to a charity or sell it?  If we sell it, how do we do that – Craig’s list?  Garage sale?  If we give it to a charity, which charity?  Would they come and pick it up or do we have to take it there?  And actually, should we get rid of it?  What if the kids want to use it when they come to visit?  What if our new neighbors have kids that would like to use it?  What if we decide we want to take up foosball?  Bending down to twist and turn those little sticks could be a good thing for the creeping arthritis.

And beyond the foosball table, what about all those videotapes?  It’s true no one seems to use VCRs, but … they’re so … interesting.

You’d think downsizing, getting ready to move from the big full family house to something smaller as the kids move out, would be easy.  But it’s not.  Every decision is complicated.  Every action has consequences and unknowns.  And we’ve got emotional attachments all over the place.  Does getting rid of the foosball table mean getting rid of the fond memories of the parties the kids had when they and their friends played for hours?

There’s a role here for some outside help, maybe a company that could help with the physical effort of packing, organizing, sorting. We’re ready to move on, but moving on is complicated and emotional.  The company could also help with the emotional attachments.  They could provide some answers to the complex and inevitable questions that come up and leave us to the real work of moving on to the next chapter of our lives. 

Jean Ronco