A faded report card, a drawing covered in uneven crayon marks or a small note written in a child’s handwriting can look like little more than old paper. Yet many parents find it unexpectedly difficult to throw such things away. Years after their children have grown up, schoolwork may still be tucked inside cupboards, displayed on refrigerators or preserved in boxes meant for family keepsakes.
At first glance, the habit may appear to be simple nostalgia. But psychology offers another way of looking at it. Objects associated with childhood can become cues for autobiographical memories, bringing back not just the moment when the item was created but an entire period of family life, as per a TOI report.
