It is the end of the school year, and I am seeing posts pop up all over social media regarding kids moving on and moving up a grade and I’m enjoying the photos of the proud parents.

My time as a mom with a school-aged child is long past and I no longer observe this rite of passage but I still love to see the changes in other families as they transfer to a new grade or school, especially the ones moving away to attend university!

The little faces I remember appear to grow up overnight and it is a constant reminder that time moves along very quickly.

When I moved away to attend university it was a time of freedom and possibly the most fun I have ever experienced.

Within a few months I was a little homesick and couldn’t wait to travel back to see my family at Thanksgiving. I was feeling nostalgic for sleeping in my old room and was floored when I walked in and saw that my pretty little bedroom had been converted to a TV room, complete with cable!

By Kim Wyse

Red Deer Express

A sofa, chair and large TV were in the place of my treasured posters and stuffed animals and the blue and yellow lattice wallpaper had been painted over in a neutral beige colour.

My parents wasted no time converting this little room into a space they could enjoy and there was still a guest room for me to sleep in so what was the problem? The problem!? WHERE IS MY STUFF?

Don’t they know that even though I have left home that they are obligated to keep my room in the state I left it forever and ever?

Who gave them permission to do any renovations in their home without asking whether I was still attached to my childhood possessions? Let’s not even discuss the fact that I watched two channels my whole life and the second I leave they get a cable package and a big screen TV – the fact that I couldn’t come home to familiarity was upsetting enough.

Many of us have spaces in our home which are outdated or have outlived their usefulness and it can be difficult to know when to change those rooms and what purpose to give them.

If a child leaves home and leaves a truckload of personal items behind, what is the right thing to do?

The feeling that they may be back or the sad feeling that they are gone can cause many conflicting emotions and a huge reluctance to renovate.

The urge to close the door and leave the memory of the room intact can be a big temptation for a parent yet the space could be used for so many wonderful things!

Was I really mad at my parents for changing my room? Not really, although it was fun to tease them over the years about getting cable after I moved away. The space brought them a great deal of joy and they used it to sit together in the evenings to watch a favorite show instead of having to trudge down two stories to get to the dark, dingy basement where our old television with the rabbit ears used to live.

The change they made was the perfect choice for their lifestyle, even if I missed seeing my stuffed animals.

Kim Wyse is a Central Alberta freelance designer. Find her on facebook at ‘Ask a Realtor/Ask a Designer’.