Woman Is ‘Angry’ to Find Pricey Items in Her Parents’ Attic After 'They Talked So Much About Poverty’ When She Was Growing Up
The woman also complained on the U.K. parenting forum Mumsnet that her brother, who "was occasionally ill as a child," was given more expensive toys than she was
Getty
A woman holding boxes (stock image)A woman has made a dismaying discovery while cleaning out the attic of her parents' home.
In a post on the U.K. parenting forum Mumsnet, the 50-year-old woman said she's been surprised to find quite a few "pricey" items stored away in the attic, considering her parents "were born on either side" of World War II and "talked so much about rationing, poverty, striking unions, etc." when she was growing up.
The poster also complained that her brother was "occasionally ill as a child" and "to compensate" was given nicer, more expensive toys — such as "fancy Lego, computers when they first came out [and] hand-held video games."
"The contrast between his pricey toys and my enjoy your family board game type stuff is obvious," she wrote on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty
An upset woman (stock image)On top of that, her parents later "got into collecting" some nice items for themselves, including porcelain and dinner services, and "upscaled their Christmas decorations again and again."
"I'm sorting through all this stuff and finding receipts for expensive, trivial stuff in the early '90s when I was at uni, working two term time jobs and full-time in the holidays and I'm a 50 year old woman upset at having to go to the tip [garbage dump] again," the woman concluded her post, noting she's feeling "angry" as she tackles the clearing out the attic.
The woman later added in an update on her post that she is grappling with "the disconnect between what [her parents] said and what they did."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"And they never asked how I felt or just repeated their hard-luck times," she wrote.
In the comments, many users attempted to encourage the woman to see the situation from her parents' point of view and consider their possible motivations.
"That was their life choice though. Who are we to decide on what and how our parents spent their money?" one person wrote. "Perhaps they did experience tough times when small with rationing etc. and wanted to make a better life as they grew up and have the things they desired for themselves."
"Sounds like your parents' fortunes improved as their family grew up, and they enjoyed spending their disposable income," another wrote, adding: "It’s just stuff, but your post suggests you are attaching significance to it as a reminder of something you feel you missed."
Getty
A mother and daughter arguing (stock image)The commenter then asked the poster to consider if it's possible that "you felt overlooked as a younger child/teen as your brother needed/got more attention because of his bouts of ill-health?"
Another person suggested that the parents' constant reminders of the struggles they experienced in their own childhoods might have been their way of teaching their kids about resilience and the value of money.
"With regard to what you seem to perceive as your parents having money while you struggled, they probably thought that they were teaching you how to manage money, and keep your head above water even when times were tough," they wrote.
Someone else encouraged the poster to seek out bereavement support, noting that she may be experiencing a complicated mix of emotions — including angry and resentment — as part of the grieving process.
"Grief is never entirely rational and brings up emotions that have been buried deep," the commenter wrote.
Read the original article on People
