Why We Hold On: Stories Beyond Letting Go

The first of a series written by Sheeba, and real life perspectives by Ann Dooley

I connected with Sheeba of This, Right Here almost instantly. A mother of three, she is a gifted storyteller with a sensitivity for bringing the feeling inside the smallest moments to life.

After bonding over motherhood and conversations about decluttering and letting go, we decided to collaborate. Sheeba would write vignettes on the topic inspired by a fictional South Indian family life. Each character’s relationship with their belongings reveal emotions they haven’t named yet, and tension they don’t know how to resolve.

After each story, I bring my perspective as a connection-first home organizer and parent educator to shine a light on what’s happening beneath the surface and practical solutions for families navigating the same.

And now, here’s Sheeba’s first story about little Karthika the Saver:

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Karthika, the Saver

by Sheeba

“Wow, Achaa, doll!”, eight-year-old Karthika was already reaching for the box before Achan had even set down his bag.

Achan laughed and held it just out of reach. “First give Achan a ‘welcome back’ kiss!”

Karthika threw her arms around him quickly and kissed and then tried to jump and reach for the box again.

She sat cross-legged on the floor and studied it before opening it. It was a sturdy box. Thick cardboard. Clean corners. A proper lid that fits snugly. The front of the box was a cellophane panel that let the doll be seen. Karthi carefully began peeling back the cellotape, tongue sticking out in concentration.

She lifted the doll out slowly. Pretty. She set the doll carefully aside.

Then she looked back at the box.

She carried it to her room and placed it on the shelf. Not thrown — placed.

“Karthi, not another box.”, Amma appeared at the door, wiping her hands on a towel.

Karthika didn’t answer. She was already looking at the shelf — a shoe box, a chocolate tin, a saree box from Ammamma’s visit, three small gift boxes nested inside each other. Each one sitting exactly where she had put it.

“Kunji, your room is becoming a godown.”Achan’s voice came before he walked up behind Amma. He had just finished his dinner. He held out his hand, and Amma passed him the towel.

Karthika turned around. “They are useful, Acha.”

“For what?”

She looked at the shelf again. The answer felt obvious to her, even if she couldn’t quite put it into words.

“For keeping things safely.”

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A few days passed.

The doll’s box sat on the shelf, waiting. Karthika had already decided. Her glass bead collection would go in it. The lid fit perfectly, nothing would roll out or get lost. She just hadn’t moved the beads yet.

On Saturday morning Amma decided Karthika’s room needed attention.

“Karthi, come. We are clearing this room today.”

Karthika came and stood in the doorway. She looked at Amma, then at the room. She didn’t see what needed clearing. Everything was where it was supposed to be.

“These boxes are all going.”, Amma said firmly, already reaching for the shelf.

Karthika watched.

Amma picked up the saree box, the chocolate tin, the small gift boxes. She picked up the doll’s box.

“Not that one!”, Karthika said quickly.

“Kunji, it’s empty.”

“It’s not empty, Amma.”

Amma looked inside. “There’s nothing in it.”

Karthika opened her mouth. How could she explain that the beads were going in it? That she had already decided? That the box had a job, it just hadn’t started yet?

The words didn’t come.

“Amma please—”

But Amma had already moved on, the box tucked under her arm with the others, her mind on the next thing.

Something cracked open in Karthika’s chest. Not about the box. About the beads, now homeless. About the system in her head that nobody could see. About things being decided without her.

She sat down on the floor of her room and cried — the way children cry when something is unfair but they don’t have the words to prove it.

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Amma came back to find Karthika still sitting on the floor, quietly crying.

She had expected drama. Not this.

She sat down next to her daughter. “Karthi, why are you crying? They were just empty boxes.”

Karthika shook her head. She couldn’t speak yet.

Amma waited.

After a moment, Karthika said in a small voice — “The doll’s box was not empty.”

“Kunji, I looked inside. There was nothing there.”

“I was going to put my beads in it.” Her voice wobbled. “The lid fits perfectly. Nothing would fall out.”

Amma was quiet for a moment.

She looked at her daughter, studying her face. At the careful shelf. At the nested boxes. At the glass bead collection sitting in an open bowl on the table, one wrong move away from scattering across the floor.

“You were keeping it for the beads.”

Karthika nodded, not trusting her voice.

“And you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t know I had to.”

Amma sat with that for a moment. In Karthika’s world, a decision made was a decision made. It didn’t need to be spoken aloud to be real.

“Show me.”, Amma said finally.

Karthika looked up.

“Show me which box was for what.”

Karthika stood up slowly. She went to the shelf and pointed.

“This tin—for my hair clips, the small ones that keep getting lost. This box — for the shells I collected at the beach. These small ones —” she pointed to the nested gift boxes — “I haven’t decided yet. But they are good boxes. I will know when the time comes.”

Amma looked at the shelf again. The same shelf she had seen as clutter ten minutes ago.

It wasn’t a pile of rubbish.

It was a filing system.

Just not one she could see until now.

“Okay.”, Amma said quietly. “Let’s find the doll’s box.”

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Karthika is fifteen now. Her room is still fuller than Amma would like.

But if you open her cupboard, you will find everything in its place. Her earrings sorted by size in a small tin. Her letters and notes from friends in a shoebox, carefully labeled. Her art supplies in a saree box, each item returned to its spot after use.

Nothing is broken. Nothing is lost.

And somewhere on her shelf, a doll’s box — lid fitting just as perfectly, corners very slightly tattered — holds a collection of glass beads that catch the light and scatter tiny colours across the room.

❤️

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Ann’s Insights

I hope you’ve enjoyed Karthika the Saver by Sheeba. If you have a child like Karthika at home, here’s my real life professional home organizer and parent educator perspective:

What I notice is that Karthika is a visual planner and a practical problem-solver. And Amma had good intentions to clear the playroom, but like many parents, their tolerance for what’s considered clutter may not be the same as their children’s. In this case, there wasn’t enough communication to get them on the same page.

I also want to point out that not every child like Karthika is the same. Some are genuinely drawn to certain objects and take good care of them. Others may hold on out of fear, especially if things have disappeared in the past without warning when parents make an executive decision.

What made the difference here was that once Amma noticed her daughter’s reaction, she paused. She gave Karthika the space and time to be heard, and that’s where the connection happened. Karthika’s system was real — she just needed the opportunity to put it into words.

Two simple words opened the door: show me. When we ask to understand rather than to judge, parents and children can find a solution that works for both of them.

When it comes to storage, boundaries don’t have to mean control. A few things worth keeping in mind:

• Let the space be the limit. Rather than deciding how many boxes a child can keep, use the shelf itself as the guide.

• Safety is a real consideration. A shelf that’s too heavy or too packed is harder to access and could be dangerous. Children can understand this when it’s brought up with care.

• When a child knows their things are safe, they’re more likely to trust the process. And that trust makes every future conversation easier.

If you enjoyed this story and perspective, be sure to subscribe. In the coming weeks, Sheeba and I will be sharing more examples of parents and children who have trouble letting go when decluttering and how to address those concerns. We look forward to hearing which ones you find relatable.

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❤️