![\"Your](\"https:\/\/www.unclutterednw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/13.png\")
<\/p>\nThe significance of family heirlooms isn\u2019t lost on you. In fact, you\u2019ve carefully stored them away for the next generation – only to discover they don\u2019t want them.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a dynamic playing out for many families as Millennials and Gen Y children trend toward a more minimalist living. Antique furniture, china, flatware, and collectibles don\u2019t fit in a lifestyle that favors sustainability and flexibility. Simply put, your kids don\u2019t want to be tied down by stuff.<\/p>\n
It creates a complicated range of emotions when you think about the memories, aspirations, and dreams associated with family heirlooms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The china set meant for newlyweds to help them start their life together. The collectibles that represented an investment, that might prove valuable to later generations. The handcrafted furniture that showcased the skill and pride of the craftsman. To you, these items aren\u2019t things.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re memories and they\u2019re part of your family history or legacy. It\u2019s why you have carefully saved, protected, and cared for them all these years. It\u2019s why you planned to keep them in the family and pass them down to your kids, just like your parents and grandparents did. Except plans changed when your kids said, \u201cNo thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what do you do now? Here are a few things to consider when navigating this situation:<\/p>\n
Your kids aren\u2019t rejecting you. They\u2019re saying \u201cNo\u201d to items and things.<\/p>\n
![\"Your](\"https:\/\/www.unclutterednw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/14.png\")
<\/p>\n
A family friend might appreciate giving the antique table they\u2019ve admired in your home a new home. A set of china could be loved and put to use in a local restaurant or tearoom. Knowing treasured items have found a new home can make it easier to move past initial hurt feelings or disappointment when your kids don’t want them.<\/p>\n
Memories live within people, not possessions. You don\u2019t need the physical item in your home to recall what it means to you. A photo of Thanksgiving dinner with great-grandma\u2019s china on the table is likely to be seen more often than the actual china set that\u2019s packed away and only used for special occasions.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s a truly special piece that you will be letting go of, treat it like the piece of family history that it is. Write down your earliest memory of the item, your favorite memory, the memory you created with it in your own home and what it has meant to your family. Having the story in writing along with a photo helps ensure the memories won\u2019t be forgotten and will remain part of your family history.<\/p>\n
If you are parting with china, flatware or serving pieces, use them before you donate or relocate them to a new home. Create a new memory before it becomes part of someone else\u2019s family story.<\/p>\n
Is it really something you need? Is it something of value? Does it bring you joy? Or will it simply go back in a box for someone else to deal with later? Downsizing now<\/a> can ultimately be the best gift you can give your family.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.unclutterednw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Old-and-Young-Hands-1024x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
You planned to keep certain items in the family by passing them down to your kids, just like your parents and grandparents did. Except plans changed when your kids said, \u201cNo thank you.”<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n