Letting go of childhood herd?

[banditpony]

but... I don't think THAT alone is a good enough reason. It is emotional and that scares me.

Why would something emotional be a scary thing? o_0

The feelings of "guilt" and "regret" are unpleasant feelings...

I know that someone would be pretty mad at me for making the choice of getting rid of a childhood toy. Guilt.

Most stories you hear are the sad stories where people wished they had the ponies they owned as a child. Regret.

I don't want to be controlled by that (which is scary). I don't want to keep a pony in my collection just because I fear I will regret letting go. That's not a reason to keep something.

ETA:
;__; It breaks my heart when I hear stories of people wanting their childhood ponies back.

[Dragonflitter]

Why do you only look on the bad side of the situation? Rather than think "I don't want this because I feel regret keeping it" instead think "It's okay for me to keep this, because it makes me happy to have it around." You're allowed to have things around you because they make you happy.

[banditpony]

Why do you only look on the bad side of the situation? Rather than think "I don't want this because I feel regret keeping it" instead think "It's okay for me to keep this, because it makes me happy to have it around." You're allowed to have things around you because they make you happy.

Because it's hard for me to let things go, especially something I've owned all my life. They WERE important to me as a child. I am not sure if I said they make me happy NOW.

But it's not that black / white. It's really hard.

[SkyCakes]

Why do you only look on the bad side of the situation? Rather than think "I don't want this because I feel regret keeping it" instead think "It's okay for me to keep this, because it makes me happy to have it around." You're allowed to have things around you because they make you happy.

Because it's hard for me to let things go, especially something I've owned all my life. They WERE important to me as a child. I am not sure if I said they make me happy NOW.

But it's not that black / white. It's really hard.

I dont remember who said this but, They have a saying: If you have it in your hand and it does not make you happy let it go. :/ Even though I regretted what I did in the past what is done is done.

[banditpony]

Why do you only look on the bad side of the situation? Rather than think "I don't want this because I feel regret keeping it" instead think "It's okay for me to keep this, because it makes me happy to have it around." You're allowed to have things around you because they make you happy.

Because it's hard for me to let things go, especially something I've owned all my life. They WERE important to me as a child. I am not sure if I said they make me happy NOW.

But it's not that black / white. It's really hard.

I dont remember who said this but, They have a saying: If you have it in your hand and it does not make you happy let it go. :/ Even though I regretted what I did in the past what is done is done.

I feel like that's what's happening... they aren't bringing me happiness now -- even though they did in the past, and I have really clear happy memories of them.

Anyway, thank you everyone for your thoughts and opinions <3

[sparkykandy]

Time for a "I gave up a childhood toy and don't regret it" story:

I used to have a P.J. Sparkles bear that I had since I was three.  As a child, she was my favorite toy, and I loved her to bits.  However, as time went on, she got ragged and as my collection of stuffed animals grew, I lost interest in her and put her in storage.  Somewhere in my teens, I got overwhelmed with my collection and ended up donating a good chunk of it.  I debated whether or not to donate her, only to realize that she had been storage in a while now, and I didn't feel the same connection as I did back a child.  So, I donated her.

I do miss her from time to time, but I also realized that if I kept her, she would still be storage. 

My advice?  Put your childhood ponies either in storage or in the closet, somewhere out of sight.  Let some time pass, and if you don't miss them, then you know that you can part with them without problem.

[northstar3184]

If you feel conflicted, I'd hold off on making a decision about them.

[DazzleKitty]

Please think it over a lot. I really wish I never sold my childhood herd of about 150 ponies. I have three left and don't think I will ever part with them.

[Shy Violet]

Personally I would hold onto them for a little longer and give yourself more time to think about it and don't pressure yourself to make a decision you're not ready for. I feel like it's only 3 ponies, so what's the big deal about keeping them? They don't take up much space and yes, there is that possibility of regretting selling them so make sure you're ready.

My mom talked my into throwing my Dream Castle in the garbage  before I got back into collecting. Nothing wrong with it, it was missing the smaller wall. I think I would be less upset if it had gone to good will for someone else to enjoy. Which leads me to the flip side, if you sell them or donate them they will go to someone that wants them and will enjoy them. I think it's perfectly ok to ask in the listing to please not customize them. I bought a NBBE Baby Halfnote on ebay that was missing her tail. The seller put in the listing to please not customize her childhood pony. I thought that was very sweet that she still cared about how she would be treated in her new home. I had no intentions of customizing her anyway but now I feel a special connection with that pony and I'm giving her a new tail and she will have a special place in my collection.

Try not to stress about it too much. You have all the time in the world to decide. Don't feel guilty that someone bought them for you. We all can't possibly keep every gift for ever and ever. Make sure they make you happy though. And it's perfectly ok to ask that they go to a home that they will not be customized and get to be on display. Nothing wrong with that but also be prepared that you no longer have control after that and circumstances change and they could be sold again or put into storage at some point.

[Dragonflitter]

My advice?  Put your childhood ponies either in storage or in the closet, somewhere out of sight.  Let some time pass, and if you don't miss them, then you know that you can part with them without problem.

This is really good advice! There's no need to get rid of something just because it's "taking up space" if it makes you happy, but if they're not bringing you some happiness, then putting them in storage would be a good test of that.

[Duenia]

My advice?  Put your childhood ponies either in storage or in the closet, somewhere out of sight.  Let some time pass, and if you don't miss them, then you know that you can part with them without problem.

This is really good advice! There's no need to get rid of something just because it's "taking up space" if it makes you happy, but if they're not bringing you some happiness, then putting them in storage would be a good test of that.

Gonna have to second this. Most of my collection is in storage for the time being (it's pretty large and small apartment) but whenever I take them out I feel so happy seeing them. Sometimes even just putting away something that no longer makes me happy for a bit can completely change that. When I see it again it's like there was never an issue.

[Stormness_1]

My advice?  Put your childhood ponies either in storage or in the closet, somewhere out of sight.  Let some time pass, and if you don't miss them, then you know that you can part with them without problem.

This is really good advice! There's no need to get rid of something just because it's "taking up space" if it makes you happy, but if they're not bringing you some happiness, then putting them in storage would be a good test of that.

Gonna have to second this. Most of my collection is in storage for the time being (it's pretty large and small apartment) but whenever I take them out I feel so happy seeing them. Sometimes even just putting away something that no longer makes me happy for a bit can completely change that. When I see it again it's like there was never an issue.

This so much is my test. I at one point put my G4's in storage, and thought about selling them. When I pulled them back out, it was the best feeling, and I decided to keep them. Make the decision at a time when there's less pressure, as you seem to be stressed about 'having less things' right now. Downsize other things, and come back to ponies again later. Make the decision when you have less things, and you aren't actively downsizing your entire life, feeling like something NEEDS to go to make you feel better.

[Lhianneth]

You shouldn't feel guilty letting go of your childhood toys just because others didn't get to keep theirs. Everybody has different experiences. My partner doesn't have a single one of his childhood toys anywhere. There are also very few photos of him from when he was a kid. It's just the way he and his family are. They're not particularly tied to mementos; he has pleasant memories without having to be reminded by a Transformer or a particular action figure or photo of those memories. I'm not the same way, so I sometimes get annoyed by his lack of sentimentality, and he gets annoyed because I sometimes have too much of it. I still have many of my childhood toys, because they're thankfully pretty portable.

However, about a year ago, I had to let go a lot of my childhood books for a number of reasons. It was painful and I felt sad about it, but there was also a level of relief knowing that the boxes of books wouldn't be taking up space in my dad's house anymore. It was also a relief because it was something that had been weighing on my mind for several years. Every time I would go visit, I'd have to see that stack of boxes full of books, and try to figure out what to do with them. Should I ship them to Australia en masse? Send over one at a time? Open them up, and take favourites back in my suitcase?

In the end, circumstances cut my deliberating short, and I had to make a snap decision. That decision was to take my 15 favourites back in my suitcase, send a couple of boxes to my nephews, and donate the rest to the library en masse. There were nearly 400 books that went, in the end, including childhood favourites, gifts from family, and text books that I used after graduation for work. They all went, though.

Will I regret having given those books to the library at some point?

Maybe. But that's not something I dwell on.

All that said, the fact that you're worried about what happens to the ponies after they leave your hands indicates, to me at least, that you're not ready to let them go. Or at least not all of them. The fact that you don't want them altered or tucked away means you're probably still very attached to them, and that's okay.

I second the others' recommendations to take them off display for a bit and put them into boxes. If you forget about them, or feel no joy when you get them back out again, it's time to let them go.

[banditpony]

Thank you Lhianneth for your story.

The guilt doesn't come from other pony owners, but my father who has always been upset with me when I get rid of certain things. It sticks with me.

I chose to go ahead and do it (2 out of 3). This is been something that I have been thinking about for over a year now. I feel like the time is right...

I'm just trying to manage the anxiety.

Boxing things up doesn't work for me. It will just cause a whirlwind of emotion when I open up the box. Although I know it's a great tactic for others.

[Majesty]

Before I moved from Rhode Island to Kentucky I gave away the 7 or so ponies I had to a friend who was several years younger than me.  I thought I was too old and she was more than happy to take them.  Att the time it felt good but when you become and adult and start getting into MLP again it doesn't feel so good.  If I had known many years down the road I would have been into MLP again I would have hung onto my ponies.  One,
 because they have sentimental value because of all the memories I had playing with them.  You can always buy the ponies you had again but they won't truly be the same ponies.

Hanging onto your childhood ponies for the simple reason that they were your childhood ponies is reason enough to hang onto them.