Why do parents keep their children's old certificates and drawings?
Arabia.net – A report card may appear faded, a drawing with uneven colors, or a small note written in a child’s handwriting—just ordinary pieces of paper. Yet for many parents, getting rid of them can be extremely difficult.
Even as children grow up, parents continue to keep files filled with school assignments, drawings, and handwritten notes. According to a report published by the Times of India, some remain tucked away in cabinets, while others are displayed on refrigerators or carefully stored in memory boxes.
At first glance, this habit may seem like mere nostalgia, but psychology suggests that these items may carry much deeper meaning. They serve as reminders of experiences, relationships, and important stages of family life that cannot be fully recaptured in the same way.
Psychologists note that old drawings can become powerful memory triggers. One reason parents cling to childhood items is that physical objects can evoke personal memories—memories tied to an individual’s experiences and life story.
Research on memory shows that recall is influenced by relationships and how families talk about their past. For example, psychologist Eileen Reese’s research has explored how conversations between parents and children can shape the way children remember their personal experiences, which may explain why a simple drawing can acquire significant emotional value for parents.
A drawing made by a six-year-old child can remind a parent of the home they lived in at the time, the child’s personality, a school event, or even a specific conversation. The drawing itself may not hold great artistic value, but it can serve as a window into an entire period of family life. The same applies to a student’s report card. Years later, it can bring to mind memories of the child’s first achievement, their excitement upon returning from school, or a parent helping them with their homework.
Nostalgia can turn an ordinary piece of paper into something priceless. Another explanation comes from research on nostalgia, in which psychologists Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut have extensively studied nostalgia and its relationship to memories, relationships, and meaningful experiences.
Their research indicates that nostalgia is often a positive emotional experience involving important people, places, objects, and moments from the past. These factors make something seemingly worthless appear highly valuable.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is that parents may not only be keeping memories of their children, but also memories of themselves.
Psychologist Dan McAdams’ work on narrative identity suggests that people understand their lives through stories of important experiences and relationships. Parenting can become one of the most significant chapters in that story. Therefore, an old drawing may represent more than just “my child’s drawing.” It may represent “this was the time when I was raising my child.” This may explain why parents sometimes remember the origin of a particular drawing with precision, even if they forget countless other details from the same period. These objects also make the passage of time tangible.
A small drawing made by a five-year-old child can look entirely different once that child becomes an adult. This contrast may remind parents of how quickly childhood passes. It can be particularly poignant when children leave home, graduate, get married, or start their own families. Nevertheless, keeping old schoolwork does not necessarily mean that a person is overly attached to the past. Some parents simply enjoy preserving family memories, while others may hope their children will appreciate these items later on.
Psychology cannot determine a person’s character merely from the presence of a box full of old drawings. What it can help explain is why something as simple as a diploma or a child’s drawing can hold value unrelated to money. Sometimes, parents are not truly attached to the paper itself, but to a moment in time that the paper helps them remember.
In this sense, these mementos can serve as small anchors connecting a person to their family’s past; they allow parents to recall memories that include their children’s features, what they used to enjoy, the nature of family routines, and the relationships and emotions that prevailed during those fleeting years.
