I’m not sentimental. There, I said it. I don’t weep over dresses handed down for generations and I don’t get “warm and fuzzy” over antique china. Maybe it has something to do with the family I was raised in? My mom isn’t loyal to brands and shops at any store that peeks her interest. Her purchase may bomb, or they may work, but for her, the fun is in the chase. My mom is, quite possibly, the most unsentimental person on earth. Fresh and fun, yes. Sentimental, no. Five years ago, when I had my first daughter, my mom tried to pawn off a photo of my sister as me to prove I resembled my newborn. One small problem, the photo was dated and it wasn’t the year I was born. I laughed and it made for a great story, two things my mom is never short on.
In complete contrast, I married a man with the most sentimental mom ever. My mother-in-law keeps things forever and takes extreme care of them. She has stories for every plate and cup and kept all of my husbands favorite toys from his childhood. She is careful and gingerly and recalls the months, if not minutes, my hubby walked, talked, and even pooped in the potty. She is loyal to brands. For example, every toy she bought for her two boys growing up was manufactured by Fisher Price. She beams with pride over every card, photo, and outfit from her sons childhood. Her joy makes others feel important and loved, two things she achieves with ease.
Then, there is me. Before I get the “smarty slap” for my unsentimental ways, fear not. I do cherish my kids art projects, I would never get rid of their tiny handprints, and I still have the outfits they came home in. I just don’t have visions of my grandchildren wearing them. I want my kids to pick their own style and never feel obligated to continue something I started. I don’t want my daughters to wear my wedding gown. I want them to have their own. I’m sorry, I just love to purge and have space and not feel constrained. I’ve struggled with this for years. Should I keep every milestone memory or does it degrade the meaning? I’m not sure.
The other day I walked into Target and strolled into the toy section. I almost fainted. In front of my face was a huge display of Fisher Price “vintage” toys. Yes, Fisher Price brought out all (and I mean all) of their popular 1970-1980’s toys. Same packaging, same sounds, same make, same model. I paused. Maybe being unsentimental is okay? Maybe it’s true, everything old is new again?
2 comments
I’m sentimental until we get “clutter creep” and then my de-cluttering takes over. Ella James has caught me red-handed numerous times throwing away her art projects…can we really keep every coloring book page that she has colored and ripped out, demanding to hang it up? She has opened the garbage drawer to throw something away and seen her stuff in there. I lie…blame it on the housekeeper and when she’s not looking put in back in! I do keep lots of her art projects but at some point, you gotta purge because in camp and pre-school they do 19 art projects a day.
So apparently we have the same mom! She is not sentimenal and neither am I. I am a chucker and my husband and mother-in-law want to keep everything. And I would like to state for the record, there is a difference between antique and old. Sometimes stuff is just old and cheap and don’t try to sell me otherwise! LOL!