Is all this scrapping ever going to be appreciated??

[LindaBabe]

I was laying there last night thinking about my scrapping and such and wondering.... is this really a "gift" for my children? I figure by the time each child is 20 (assuming I am caught up), I will have about 30 albums to give to each of them. Is that truly a gift or a burden?? Will they want to keep them/store them?? Or will they leave them at my house because they don't have the room or whatever??

I think I will do some serious thinking going forward about the AMOUNT of pictures I scrap. I've tried to be pretty selective over the past few years in an effort to move my scrapping forward a bit faster... but I think I need to be a bit more ruthless. For example.... does a 3 day visit to my mom for DD's "Grammy Camp" time REALLY warrant 10 pages in her scrapbook?? Cause that is where I'm at right now. I just finished 2 trip albums and up next are these Grammy Camp pictures. I divided them by events (fishing, tea party, swimming, etc) and I figured that I will have 5 2-page layouts for these three days. They are all planned and sketched and papers picked, so I WILL do these as planned, but I need to start thinking harder about these things. I want to include the everyday things, as well as special occasions, but I think I need to start cutting back on the quantity of pictures I scrap.

I still LOVE scrapping and I am happy that my kids will have all of these great memories of their childhoods preserved for THEIR kids (and grandkids) to hopefully enjoy... but perhaps it is time to start streamlining things a bit.

Anyone else have these thoughts??? .........................P

I wish my mom had scrapbooked. Heck, I wish my mom would have labeled her photos! I have NO clue who any of those people are, let alone their stories. Your kids may not be interested now but wait until THEY have kids! And your grand kids SUREly will.

. . . But recently, he's been going through some tough times. Just teenage growing pains, nothing tragic, but having to be more in the disciplinarian category lately has been uncomfortable and unpleasant for all of us. Then one day I mentioned DH's Scottie Pippen flat top hair of the early 90's and had to pull out a scrapbook to show him. Then we looked at the rest of the book. Then he wanted to see more. We looked at all of his life, and for the first time, he really enjoyed it! I think it was important for him to see how much we have ALWAYS loved him. To see how he fits in our family, and how important he is to us, from the beginning. And he felt loved. I can't really explain it, it's not like he didn't know it before. But the visual reminders of HOW MUCH he is loved...well that's an intangible thing that scrapbooks are wonderful at conveying.

That brings tears to my eyes. Reason enough, right there.

As long as I enjoy doing it and looking at it though, that's enough for me. At least while I'm scrapping I'm not eating

Amen, Sistah!

I have one male child and no hope of any grandchildren (his wife is older than me) The B - - - - family history scrapbooks will go to them. The V - - - - - family history scrapbooks will to my cousins. The rest will go to the dumpster, most likely, since I can't take 'em with me. But I will have had the pleasure of creation and tangible reminders of my life during my life.

 

[Pixieflip]

I do streamline, as you suggested. I mean, I know we get excited about things, but really? Does anybody need 14 two page layouts of a one year old's first birthday party? That doesn't even count the trip to the zoo and the kid party. Yeah. After that I decided to really step back and let go of the excess. I'm currently scrapping the year 1998, done 10 years in the past 2 years. Learned a lot. When you wait so long, it's almost easier to be more decisive about what's most important.

When they graduate, each of my kids will get a digital book that is a summary of their lives. The other scrapbooks are for me. If they each want a copy, they can take care of that after I'm gone.

 

[MazdaUK]

I started scrapping 5 years ago when my kids were 11 and 6, so I started by "catching up" with them.... vacations andn holidays first, then from baby onwards. so I'm now scrapping us as we go, but I've also started going back to before kids.


Funnily enough DH suddenly decided to look at scrapbooks last night after I'd shown him my ancestor photos

 

[pjlla]

I'm glad to see so many opinions about this subject. You all have such great attitudes about it too.

I'm trying to remember that I'm not JUST scrapping for my kids. I'm scrapping for me and because I love the CREATIVE OUTLET that scrapping gives me. It helps me relive our memories.

While I will continue to hope and pray that my kids appreciate these albums someday, I need to continue to scrap FOR ME! I love it and for now that is what is most important!

Thanks for chiming in everyone!....................P

 

[mommy2mrb]

I hope to go back someday and do the photos of Jim and I before Megan.

Also our wedding album, its in the pretty album from the photog, but would like to do something very special with it!
Has anyone done their wedding album and would like to share how it looks?!

 

[MazdaUK]

I left my "official" album as it was, but I did go back and properly scrapbook my "unofficial" one - all the pics people gave me, our memories of the day etc. I think I can find a pic or two.....