Should mom destroy her intimate journals?

DEAR AMY: I have a dilemma that I'm sure many people share. I am in my late 30s, married with two children.

I have many journals that I kept through my teens and 20s.

I am wondering if I should keep these journals or dispose of them. While my past is not terribly sordid or exciting, I know my husband would probably be hurt reading about past relationships (should he outlive me and find these diaries). My children would probably not be thrilled to read their mother's intimate thoughts and feelings from that era. On one hand, I went through the trouble to write those journals, so I feel reluctant to get rid of them. If nothing else, they remind me of how far I have come in terms of my maturity and confidence.

On the other hand, I cringe at the thought of others reading them, even after my death.

What are your thoughts, Amy?Not Anne FrankDEAR NOT: You need to define "cringe." By cringe, do you mean, "I can't believe I spent so much time trying to mousse my hair like Rachel from 'Friends' "? Or do you mean, "I really wish I hadn't recorded my romantic obsession with my high school guidance counselor"?

I vote for keeping these diaries.

Your intimate thoughts and feelings from another era are exactly what most children would be thrilled to read after their mother was gone, unless, of course, these contained untruths or cruel statements about family members.

If you want to redact passages that are particularly hurtful or cringe-worthy, this might be a good editorial exercise. (If you excise portions of your dairies and retype them, make sure to note the provenance of the content and the dates.) It might be fun to do this and also include "period" photos along with the text.

Print out anything you retype and also keep an electronic version.

I'd enjoy running feedback from readers.