Memo to parents: Your adult kids don't want your stuff

NOLA.com| The Times-Picayune ^ | April 11, 2016 | Marni Jameson

[Kickass Conservative]

My 93 Year Old Father has so much crap it’s ridiculous.
I know it will be something I will have to deal with sooner than later.

I will feel guilty getting rid of it, but most of it isn’t worth the cost of getting it hauled away. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. As true as it ever was.

I won’t say he’s a Hoarder, but my Wife thinks he may be a contender. My Older Brother has the same affliction to a lesser degree.

The one thing worth something that my Brother still has is a 32 Ford 5 Window Deuce Coupe that he bought and built into a Hot Rod when he was a Teenager, over 50 Years ago.

It’s buried in his Garage. I’m hoping for first dibs if he buys the Farm before I do, which is unlikely given my Medical Issues.

My Wife feels sorry for his Wife. Luckily, that particular Hoarding / Collector Gene didn’t end up with me. I did get the Hair Gene though.

My Dad and Brother, not so much. #;^) - (;^(

[metmom]

Mr. mm is contending for being a hoarder and it’s a constant battle to keep the stuff cleared out.

I lean that way but like a clear, uncluttered house and this last few months with clearing out my m-i-l’s stuff has beena fantastic cure for that condition.

When I was growing up, we did not have much. My mom had to work a part time job in addition to my dad’s dull time job to keep food on the table and clothes on our backs. Feeding four growing teenagers is not cheap.

Anyway, we did not waste anything. We worked hard for what we got.

And that is the thing that gives me the most problem. There’s a lot of money tied up in all the stuff we have and I know that I could get some decent money for it, but I can’t be bothered with Craig’s List or E Bay.

So it’s going to be a massive garage sale and see what goes from that.

I’ve decided that I can’t do anything about what was done in the past as far as spending money. Now I’d rather have the money than the stuff we don’t use, but I look at as a lesson learned and since I can’t change the past, but I can change the future, I have to decide to not go there any more.

AND I am trying to teach my kids that now, so they don’t live with a lifetime of regrets over overspending.

[Kickass Conservative]

There are two kinds of People in this World, the ones that own stuff and the ones owned by their stuff. LOL

It’s no wonder all those Storage Unit places are raking in the bucks.

[sheana]

My poor mother was like that. She had a 2 bedroom house stuffed full of stuff that mostly came from Goodwill......and back to Goodwill most of it went.
It’s sad.

[ncpatriot]

I have a letter written by my great grandmother to her son my grandfather. In the letter, she wrote in great detail about a new horse they had gotten. Made me realize that horses were important to the young men of that day like cars were to young men of my day.

[kalee]

Old letters provide great insight in to the lives of the writers. I bought an antique daily devotional book at an auction. According to a letter I found in the book it had been a gift sent by a brother to his sister after the deaths of two of her children. The date put it in the time frame for the influenza epidemic of 1918. In the letter her brother wrote how sorry he was to be away and unable to offer more than letter and book, but she was in his prayers and not to lose hope, but to remember they would all be together in heaven. He wrote of both children by name and the things he would always remember of them. It was a touching and sweet memorial. I hope she did find comfort from his gift and tender words.