She Started Hiding Her Heirlooms When Her Family Comes To Visit Since She’s Scared They’ll Take Them
Have you ever gotten into any drama with siblings, cousins, or other relatives over family heirlooms?
Splitting up items that were once precious to older or passed family members can get really stressful, as people often have their eyes on one thing and can be very stubborn about giving things away.
One woman received three sentimental items that were passed down from her mom but had to begin hiding them anytime her family came over because her sister wanted to take them.
She is 42-years-old and one of five children. Her dad passed away when she was young, leaving her mom to raise her and her siblings.
Over the years, her mom collected some really cool furniture items and pieces she began giving away after downsizing and moving into a condo.
Although she had a strong connection to many of the things her mom had left, because she’s one of the younger siblings, she was one of the last to pick out what she wanted.”
“After everyone had decided on what they wanted, I wound up with three things that were of little to no financial value, but I treasure them for the memories they represent,” she said.
“The first item is a tractor seat that is bolted to a butcher block to make a funky chair. The second item is a 1970s tacky spice cabinet, and the third thing is a set of stoneware pastry bowls that my mom had saved green stamps to buy.”
Over the years, the rest of her siblings have been quite careless with the items they took from their mom and either damaged or broke everything. She, however, has taken great care of her items and has done her best to preserve them.
Photo 38867493 © Nadino – Dreamstime.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Now, every time her siblings come over, they make a fuss over what she has and act as though they didn’t know she got it or make comments like, “I’ve always wanted that.”
One of her sisters has been particularly nosy about her items and wants to take them herself. Unfortunately, her mom has begun siding with her sister and trying to help her.
Not long ago, she found out her mom told her sister she should take the tractor chair because she “wasn’t really using it,” and it was sitting in her garage.
“I had it in the garage because I was protecting it from the weather, and it needed sanding,” she explained.
“For other reasons, I have gone no contact with this sister. Well, she texted me out of the blue to ask if she could have the chair.”
“I told her it was sentimental for me, and I would prefer to keep it. She tried to guilt trip me about how she didn’t have anything left from our parents. I didn’t reply; conversation over.”
Her sister has a bad track record for taking care of sentimental items and even has a basement with flooding issues, so she knew there was no way she’d ever want to hand over her family items to her.
So, she began hiding everything when her family came over. For instance, a little while ago, her mom was house-sitting for her, and she hid the chair in fear of her mom giving it to her sister while she was gone.
“We will be hosting Christmas this year, and I plan to hide the bowls, the chair, and the spice rack while my family is visiting,” she added.
“I’m starting to feel like I don’t really want anything to do with my family at all, including the heirlooms.”
“I’m not someone who is generally attached to things, especially when it starts to affect a relationship, but I feel on principle this is about more than the heirlooms and more about boundaries.”
While hiding her items is the best way to keep them safe from grabby family members, she can’t help but feel a little guilty.
Should she feel guilty, or is she right to protect her heirlooms?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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