Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Chris Pratt Asks When It's OK To Toss Your Kid's Childhood Trophies

— ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Chris Pratt is very proud of his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger and all of her accomplishments. As he should be; she is an accomplished author and mother to two. But he’s wondering if it’s necessary to keep evidence of all of her accomplishments throughout her entire life in their home. That’s right, Chris Pratt is asking when it’s okay to toss your kid’s childhood trophies after his wife’s mom appeared to keep every single one of them, and it’s sparked something of a parenting debate.

The Guardians of the Galaxy actor, who is dad to 11-year-old son Jack with ex-wife Anna Faris as well as 3-year-old daughter Lyla and 1-year-old daughter Eloise with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, took to Instagram with an interesting question recently. Alongside a photo of his wife beaming with pride, Pratt wrote that her mother Maria Shriver “has been storing special items from Katherine’s childhood for years.”

“Which is so very thoughtful,” he added. “To see my darling wife beaming with sentiment as she opens these crates of meticulously organized keepsakes, remembering her cherished youth, makes me grateful for the efforts her folks put into archiving. I cannot say how proud I am of my wife for being a fourth grade problem solving superstar.”

He went on to note that one trophy was for “most improved two year old” in a swim class, and apparently Katherine was the only 2-year-old in that particular swim class. Pratt explained that he understood that storing all of these trophies is all about the “hope of parenthood” to see your children “look back on their childhood with glee.” But he also wondered if it’s okay to get rid of them once they’ve looked through their stuff. Especially those less-than-auspicious awards.

“Do we need the ‘I was on a sports team trophy?’ Can they be donated? Repurposed?” the actor asked. “How many do we gotta keep? Not all of them right? Any of them? Is there a grading scale? Like, did you win? Were you a champion? Is there a specific sentimental connection? Help me out here. Do they go back in storage?”

Schwarzenegger teased her husband about his post, writing, “Feels like someone is a litttlllee bit jealous of my natural athleticism from birth and ability to solve problems,” while her mom Maria Shriver chimed in with, “Omg I’m so happy here’s to story trophies and school work and dresses and party outfits i feel vindicated.”

Some other parents took to Pratt’s post to share their own feelings about keeping kids’ trophies.

“I think I’m going to be one of those moms that keep EVERYTHING…including the teeth,” wrote one follower.

Another person had some helpful advice, “You could take pictures of them and put them in a printed book. Less space but still the memories.”

And one mom admitted, “I’m the mom that saved a lot (not all) of my kids papers, trophies, drawings. They went through them equally gleefully but threw away 75%. I was fine with that. I loved watching them go through it.”

Whatever you decide to do with your kids’ trophies, perhaps the lesson here is to remember that their future partner will end up inheriting them as well. And here’s hoping they get as much joy from them as Chris Pratt did with his wife’s trophies.


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