My mom is part of the Silent Generation. She is in her 80s whereas my sister is a Boomer in her 60s. I'm in my late 40s and fall among the Gen X crowd.

After my dad passed away, we had to sell the house so my sister, a nurse, could care for mom full time. It took my sister and I 6 months to clear a house with 50+ years of...stuff... accumulated. My dad's tool shed was falling down and crammed with rusting tool boxes, dried out gas cans, decades old fishing gear, and lawn equipment rusted beyond repair. To make matters worse, this shed was being used by a family of feral cats, so it was basically a health hazard.

My mother collected tons of plates, figurines, Precious Memories "collectibles", and other tchotchkes only an older lady would love. The cabinets were full of my grandmother's old dishes, punch bowls, and baking ware. There were clothes crammed in the closets from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The whole house was like this. My parents didn't believe in throwing anything away unless it was broken beyond repair.

Fast forward to when my sister and I were finally able to have an "estate sale". We hired a professional to stage the areas and advertise the sale. Turns out, NO ONE wanted any of the Precious Memories, the full 32 piece service sets, the curio cabinets, the Home Interior paintings, plates, Beenie Babies, VHS movies, etc. We couldn't even GIVE it away. Finally had a charity store come in and haul it all away...at our cost.

After this whole ordeal, my sister has started downsizing. She got rid of her own curio cabinets, old dish sets, old clothes, and old VHS movies. At least she won't leave a pile of crap for her kids to clean up later down the road. God bless my Mother, but Lord...getting that house ready to sell was Hell on Earth. Please don't do this to your kids.