Packing Up for the Move and My Son’s Room Is a Disaster

This weekend it's time to move from the house we've lived in for the last four years to a new place.  One room has been harder to pack out than any other, and it belongs to the half-time resident. 

My son is 11 years-old and a bit of a hoarder.  He likes to hang on to every drawing, big school project, souvenir, and small gift - even from Happy Meals - and really struggles with cleaning out his room normally.

Add to that the pressure and reality that we need to get out by this weekend, and it's been an extra struggle for him.

A few months ago, we did a substantial purge and took a lot of clothes and old toys to donate to charity.  That helped for sure, but getting this one room prepped to move has been the biggest struggle.

I wanted to both empower him and teach him responsibility and the realities of moving, so I've had him focus on it as his own project.  That has mean some boxes packed as haphazardly as his drawers and bins were, but I'm at a loss for how slowly the process has been going.

My kiddo stops and plays with almost everything he comes across.  He's rediscovering all these toys and memories he hasn't even touched for months.  I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake in having him go through this rediscovery process.

My gut is when he heads back to his Mom's tomorrow, that's when the real packing will happen, and I'm thinking it's going to be done by me.