DEAR ABBY: My 24-year-old son, "Dustin," moved out five years ago, but he expects me to keep all his childhood and college items in his old bedroom because he says he doesn't have room for them in his apartment.
I'd like to clear out his closet and dresser and use the space for things I want to store. I need more space for me.
Dustin is calling me selfish because I want to change "his" room and move my stuff in there. I say I need the space, and if he wants to keep all his stuff, he should rent a storage locker. By the way, he sleeps here maybe five nights a year at most.
How long are parents obligated to keep their grown children's keepsakes? -- WANTS MY SPACE
DEAR WANTS YOUR SPACE: You are asking an emotionally loaded question. While, rationally, five years should be long enough, clearing "his" room instead of maintaining it as a shrine may feel like abandonment to your adult child.
Give Dustin a little more time to adjust -- like six months -- and then insist that he find a place for his things. That way it will be a little less traumatic.