05 January 2011

5 Things to Save for Your Kids

My daughter sent me an article from the 2010 Real Simple magazine titled "5 things to save for your kids".  She said "saw this & thought of you".  It listed 5 items worth saving:

  1. Eric Silver, director of Lillian Nassau, a New York City based antiques gallery, and an appraiser on PBS's Antiques Roadshow suggests saving "Insignificant objects from significant occasions".  He gives an example of a concert handbill that meant a lot to him.  He suggests keepsakes that help your kids understand you.  So, kids-I think I will save my signed Batman photo for you!
  2. Mike Bender, cofounder of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com suggests saving "Something mortifying from your childhood".  For example, teen mementos or embarrassing pictures.  I wish I had the blue and white star hot pants I wore as a teenager to pass on! 
  3. Rafael Guber, a consulting genealogist to the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance, in Los Angeles picked "Your practical, high quality household items".  He gave as an example, soup ladles, prayer books or rosary beads.  I have a couple of items in mind to pass on to my children. 1) a relish tray that belonged to my grandmother and 2) silver candlesticks that were my husband's grandmother's.  Are you getting excited Kirsten and Travis?
  4. Jennie Eisenhower, actor and director, and granddaughter of Richard and Pat Nixon, chose "Something your descendants can repurpose."  She is fond of the sugar bowl that belonged to her grandmother, Pat Nixon.  She uses it to keep spare change in and says she thinks fondly of her grandmother when she sees it.  I have my great grandmother's handmade doilies and a few of my grandmother's hand made hot pads that I put on my desk where I do genealogy.  I, too, think of them as I work.
  5. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, professor of history at Harvard University and author of The Age of Homespun and A Midwife's Tale thinks you should save, "What you wear to work on Monday"  She thinks everyone saves wedding dresses and baby clothes, so when you have a piece of clothing that is just ordinary clothing it is special.  I have a pair of Calvin Klein blue jeans from the 70's, that I swear will fit again, I didn't know I was saving them for my kids.
This article made me think of just what I would like to save for my children and what I would like of my parents.  Is there anything you think should be saved for our descendants?  Please share them in the comment sectionn.

4 comments:

  1. Love this article, although I have nothing meaningful to pass along.

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  2. Brenda, yes, all your genealogy, and your notebooks, photos, oh heck, anything to do with genealogy. Another thought, is to ask them. I remember Greta mentioned the flower bowls in her post, they are simple, yet brought back nice memories. (I can find the site, if you like.)

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  3. Love that you kept the post-it note attached when you scanned the article. Too cute.

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  4. Daisy, you will just have to find something. I didn't think I had anything until I started thinking about. It's the little things we remember.

    Barbara, I think genealogy goes without saying. I just hope my children realize the importance of it!

    Kirsten, I thought it was a nice touch!

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