I am truly fulfilled by what I do and love telling people about it. I write and share short weekly articles called “blogs” on the themes of: family treasures, letting go of stuff, sentiment & nostalgia, preserving memories, supporting the moves of our elders, and more. You can receive these blogs weekly by email by signing up at the bottom of the page.
Feedback is aways welcome. Enjoy!
I love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing.”
Read MoreI love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing.”
In How Do I Help My Parents to Downsize, I shared some reasons why seniors struggle with downsizing. For many of these generous folk, an easy solution would be for their adult children to take everything that the senior no longer needs and incorporate the items into their own homes.
How many of us have been asked to do just that? And can’t or choose not to.
Here are some suggestions to help you:
Read MoreWhether they are packrats or minimalists or somewhere-in-between, helping parents to downsize can be a challenging and meaningful experience!
Many of us as adult children will be called upon to help our parents downsize from a family home to condo or apartment. As you lend a hand, consider these questions together.
How can we collaborate?
Read More"How do I find the balance of saying YES and NO to my parents as they downsize their home and ask me to take items?” This common question comes from adult children who are helping their parents right-size or downsize their homes.
The adult child's question about a balance of YES and NO frequently follows a time of saying: “I can’t take any more of your stuff, Mom!” (See YOUR DOWNSIZING CAN’T BE MY UPSIZING)
Although “upsizing” was not their goal, two friends offer their wisdom about taking more-than-less as they help their parents downsize.
Read MoreMany adults are helping senior family members downsize because of an imminent move to a smaller home or because their current home feels too full of stuff.
Unless continuous clearing of possessions has been a priority for older generations or they have strong minimalist tendencies, most seniors have a lot of stuff. This may be difficult for younger generations to understand. I commonly hear “Why can’t you get rid of stuff? or “Why did you buy all this stuff?” as younger family members struggle with their feelings of frustration and weariness in supporting their elders.
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