Do you hold on to keepsakes from past partners?

[princessluna11706]

Mostly donate-(or trash/delete pics) with the exception of jewelry   I have a few really nice pieces from my ex, and I'm not parting with those!  Another ex of mine still has our photos backed up and stored somewhere.  This I don't mind, as we are still friendly and talk here and there through line/fb (though rarely.. pretty much just on birthdays) but I wouldn't be able to do it.  It would be too hard for me personally.

My husband knows about this, and doesn't mind whatsoever He had a rose gold Gucci mens ring from his ex, which he sold (his choice) and I think he has a few other things around, which I don't mind at all.  None of them are sentimental things.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I have an ex who was a monster, but he bought me a nice capo and I see no reason to replace it.

I have another ex who was a dreamer. He was from Irish descent and gave me a white heart stone that he found on the beach. I need to chuck it but I can't. I was with him on and off for nearly 15 years.

I've fallen for someone else and I still can't seem to part with it.

As for other boyfriend's stuff, if it's something useful I just think 'useful thing' and not about the person. If it doesn't have a use it gets binned or donated. I have lots of other stuff I no longer use.

[True]

yes I do. I've held onto several things, and I've given several things away. just because something ended badly does not mean it started badly.

Ahhh What a wonderful thing to point out. This is a very good point.

[ashes]

Yes and no.  When I was in college I had a boyfriend whom I dated for three years.  We actually started dating when I was a senior in high school, and since he was my date for the Senior Ball, I still have that picture - I mean it's part of my high school memories, so I wanted to keep it.  I also kept photos of us that had my friends in it. But all other photos of us I trashed.  What was really difficult for me to give up were the letters we wrote to each other.  When went out of state for college, and he stayed in CA.  This was before email had taken off, and before everyone had a cell phone, so we wrote letters to each other almost every week my whole freshman year at college.  I kept them for a long time, more for the nostalgia of letter-writing.  But in the end I chucked them too, because I knew I would never read them again.

But the one other thing I did keep what a Christmas gift he gave me oh, I think it was the last Christmas we were together.  It was a very large Greenwich Workshop print of a painting done by my all-time favorite artist.  I also have a few other prints from that artist that my parents have given to me for my birthdays, so for me it's part of a collection.

While we ended our relationship amicably, I've been married for 11 years, so I don't necessarily see the point of keeping everything from past boyfriends or girlfriends around.

But I am glad for the few pictures that I kept, because since they are linked to high school and college memories, and as part of a larger life history, I'm sure my kids would be curious at some point when they start dating if Mom and Dad had anyone they dated, or whatnot. 

[melipuffles]

I hold on to a few pictures, but not all of them, and keep bigger gifts usually...
 My ex got me a tablet, and while I can't stand him, and don't want to talk to him anymore, I wouldn't get rid of my tablet that I am so used to using now.

Some stuffed animals, unless I'm really attached to them, will also go.
I have a giant stuffed caterpillar one of my exes got me, and he passed away last year. I'm very attached to the caterpillar and was when we were dating too, it sleeps with me every night, but it had nothing to do with my ex, just that I love the caterpillar itself. Once I found out he passed, he now also serves as a memory of a lost friend, because even though we broke up, we were still friends.

[NoDivision]

*shrugs* I keep things from my exes if it's stuff I'd want anyway. If not I get rid of it. Not as mementos exactly but because it's my stuff and I like it.

Yup, this. My last BF really liked to buy me things (even though I always told him he really shouldn't feel like he needed to spend money on me) and he got me some pretty awesome stuff. Comics and collectors items and things. Things I really like. I'm certainly not going to trash them just because they were gifts from an ex, haha.

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

Nope. When I ended things with my ex gf three years ago. I left all the things she gave me with her. Only kept a book that I'd honestly forgotten she'd given me; so that was an 'oops' moment. As someone else said earlier in this thread "making room for good memories".

No pictures,gifts,every day shared items. Ex's are "x" for a reason. Am glad I didn't carry any of that forward with me.

[achab1984]

I do have photos on my desk top computer at home still of my ex. The only reason that I still have them is for my daughter. I know when she gets older she might want to see them or have some printed for her to have.  Otherwise I sold and got rid of everything else!

[fingerpaints]

Personally I can't. It hurts enough to have had to walked away from the last two relationships I was in, I don't need any reminders of that. Both my most recent exs held onto things, and because I had no attachment to the objects or photos I was fine about it. If thats what they need to do its not harming anyone.

[DartBurd]

Nope.  I burned every picture, letter, etc that was between just him and I, and other material things were given away or donated. Done with that!

[kakenterprise]

It depends on the relationship.  I don't think just because a relationship doesn't work out it mean you have to give up things like gifts.   

I let go of everything I had from a bad relationship.  He didn't really get me and for some reason he thought "I know you like to sketch but I bought you this scarf instead".  As you can imagine it got donated!!

If for some reason my current relationship doesn't work out I'd keep the stuff he got me.  No way would I let go of my sideshow batman and my cintiq.   They are mine!!  We joke that if it doesn't work out he get's them back, I tell him good luck in court.

[Whippycorn]

Nope. Unless it was something I really like (e.g. if ex had bought me a pony). I wouldn't really want my partner to be hoarding mementos of past girlfriends either really. And advising someone to be deceitful to their partner is just wrong. 

[Shaiyeh]

I have one past relationship that wasn't jjst school flings.
It was a very bad relationship, and I got rid of everything. SOme things are or will be replaced, but it feels better having bought something myself rather than keep a thing I like, but is.... tarnished. I burned, sold, gave away and tossed stuff. I still find things in my parents' attic that I have to toss.
If for some reason David and I split up, I don't know. I'd probably be devastated so I'm not sure I would be able to keep things. But I prefer not to think of that, and hopefully we won't part ways.

[DazzleKitty]

I tend to take breakups hard and get rid of everything. I do have some anime dvds my ex gave me on birthdays, Christmas, etc. But I won't get rid of them because I collect them.

[kezrob23]

I don't like my partner (of 16 years, 2 kids) keeping stuff from his past partner, but I can't do anything about it... 20 years ago, when he was 14, he was the sole survivor of a car crash that killed 4 others, including his girlfriend. When we first got together he was living in a caravan in his mum's backyard, and the framed photo of her had pride of place. When he eventually bought and moved into his mum's house, the pic got pride of place on the hallway wall. Till his brother told him he should probably take it down. Now all the stuff is back in the caravan. I don't have to see it, but I know it's there...