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ZombieManilow t1_iwzf0za wrote

I just spent months decluttering our family home (2 adults 6 kids) for a long-distance move. IMHO you shouldn’t saddle your kids with boxes of sentimental junk that accumulate over the years. Put that money in a bank account or something. Or write a letter and seal it up for them to read many years later.

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Verity41 t1_iwzi0wt wrote

Agree with this, parents please don’t start your kids out with the “too much dust gathering junk” hoarding habit! It’s so hard to break later and you have to drag that albatross through life. The tree planting or money in a special account idea is a good one.

r/minimalism

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Girhinomofe t1_iwzoegz wrote

Agree with this poster 100%.

This stuff is sentimental to YOU and being imparted on your child; when your firstborn is old enough and gets handed a box with 18 gold roses in it, chances are that they will either feel obligated to hang on to it despite no attachment, or just sell/donate them.

Make retirement IRA accounts for these kids, and put money into it annually. In 18 years it’ll be worth way more than a handful of roses and baseball cards, and way more useful to your kids.

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facebook57 t1_iwzqfp0 wrote

You have to have earned income to put $ in an IRA which most young children do not. Regular brokerage would work though

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Girhinomofe t1_iwzwufx wrote

Yes, sorry, was typing on the fly and didn’t think it through. Just any kind of account that will accrue tons of value through their lives is where my brain was going.

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Hipposarecool777 t1_ix4oig1 wrote

I think it’s impersonal nature of the gifts that make them valueless. Who knows? Maybe the daughter will turn into a heavily tattooed heavy duty mechanic, and the son will be an interior designer with no interest in sports. I’d rather a Christmas ornament every year that reflects what the child’s interests are. Something that shows you are paying attention to the child. They could each have their box of ornaments that they are in charge of putting up every year. Make it a memory.

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Avatar_Goku t1_ix94sji wrote

Yeah! Thanks dad, another gold dipped rose. Just like last year... And the year before...

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oftloghands t1_ix2je3p wrote

I love the idea of a letter each year. Would love to have received this from my mother.

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alv51 t1_ix37jvn wrote

Same. When my dad died I really did long for letters or notes to me, just to hear him speak to me from the heart, and feel like I knew him better and he was close by.

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anniemaxine t1_ix5hy9h wrote

I recently got three bins of my grandfather's writings...letters, poems, stories, drawing, newspaper articles, etc. Reading through them, I get extra excited when they mention me. He has been gone for 15 years and I am treasuring them. I want to write things to my children now so they can feel the same way.

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