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Be like Daniel Gyro Gearloose for once: When children become inventive
by Michael Restin
Honey, the kids have grown!
14.9.2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
If you have kids, you’re probably familiar with those piles of outgrown clothes that seem to grow back right after you’ve found a new home for them. My advice? Take a breather, reminisce, cry – and then let go.
It was one of those rare occasions when I had a Saturday to myself. A perfect opportunity to finally clear out those bags of clothes my kids have outgrown. I’d been tripping over them in the hall for weeks.
And so I started inspecting the items one by one, unfolding each piece of clothing and sorting them by size and condition before making little piles of tiny T-shirts, trousers and jumpers.
I sent my sister a photo of the piles of clothes and asked if I could save them for her baby. It would be so much easier to let go of these clothes in the knowledge that they’d soon be worn by another child I love. I sent my mother a message to tell her that I finally understood why she was so sentimental about us growing up. My sister replied, telling me she’d be happy to take the clothes I’ve cleared out. That’s great to hear.
Until then, it’s off to the vacuum storage bag with those cute little children’s clothes. I wiped away my tears and felt decluttered – both on the outside and the inside. I was glad that those bags had gone. But I also felt less messy on the inside. I resolved to spend a lot more time reminiscing and crying uncontrollably. Then the doorbell rang, followed by a loud and lively, «Hey mum, we’re back!»
What do you do with the piles of clothes your kids have outgrown?
Header image: Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
Editor freelance
simon.balissat@digitecgalaxus.chI'm really a journalist, but in recent years I've also been working more and more as a pound cake baker, family dog trainer and expert on diggers. My heart melts when I see my children laugh with tears of joy as they fall asleep blissfully next to each other in the evening. They give me inspiration to write every day - they've also shown me the difference between a wheel loader, an asphalt paver and a bulldozer.
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