\u201c3 car garage\u2026cannot fit a single car in there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Millennials with Baby Boomer parents<\/a> have not been shy about airing their complaints<\/a> about the older generation. Millennials have previously noted that their parents tend to hoard food<\/a>, and now Millennials are airing their grievances about Boomer<\/a> \u201cstuff avalanche.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Reddit<\/a>, Millennials discussed their frustrations about their Boomer parents and the insane amount of junk<\/a> they have in their homes that (allegedly) will one day be passed down to them<\/a>. Many Millennials shared that it is a source of contention for them, and that they wish their parents would just throw things out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c3 car garage\u2026cannot fit a single car in there,\u201d one commented. And another stated, \u201cI am very concerned with the amount of junk my parents are holding onto.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fellow peeved Millennial added, \u201cThe worst part is that our parents think this is all worth lots and lots of money. Don\u2019t worry kids, these three sets of china I\u2019m saving for you will be worth millions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another had laid down the law: \u201cMy mom kept joking about all the \u2018stuff\u2019 being my inheritance. After a few times I was tired of it, I looked her dead in the face and said in the most monotone I could get. \u2018I will get the biggest dumpster I can, and it will all go in the trash.\u2019 She stopped making that joke, and my parents have been slowly throwing out their junk ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Boomer generation grew up in the post-war era shaped by rationing and economic rebuilding,\u201d Daniel Glazer, clinical psychologist and co-founder of US Therapy Rooms<\/a>, tells Upworthy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He adds that the Boomer inability to let stuff go is often criticized, when you look at the psychology of their attachment to objects, their behavior makes much more sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot so long ago, saving things was an adaptive habit<\/a>. \u2018That might come in handy\u2019 was a common refrain in households in which replacing something was not so easy, or affordable,\u201d says Glazer. \u201cThere is also an element of emotional security<\/a> that comes from the things that have surrounded us through decades of life events, or even across a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for many Boomers, getting rid of stuff can signify an even bigger mental battle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs people age, there can also be an increased awareness of mortality<\/a>,\u201d says Esin Pinarli, Founder & Holistic Psychotherapist at Eternal Wellness Counseling<\/a>. \u201cLetting go of objects can feel symbolic, almost like letting go of chapters of their life. If no one is asking about those chapters anymore, those objects become the tangible proof that those experiences mattered. So it\u2019s not stubbornness. It\u2019s often about attachment, meaning-making<\/a>, and a fear of losing relevance or erasing parts of their story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting the conversation with Boomer parents in an empathetic and understanding way may help the process go more smoothly and deepen the relationship with them. Here are a few examples of conversation starters Millennials can use when talking to their Boomer parents about throwing things away:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversation Starter #1<\/strong>: \u201cI know these things mean something to you. I\u2019d love to hear the story behind a few of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis shifts the focus from getting rid of objects to honoring the meaning behind them,\u201d says Pinarli. \u201cWhen a parent feels seen and understood, they\u2019re often more open to eventually letting go. It validates that the attachment is about memory and identity, not just stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversation Starter #2: <\/strong>\u201cWhat would feel good for you to keep, and what feels like it\u2019s just taking up space now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis gives them agency,\u201d Pinarli explains. \u201cInstead of telling them what to throw away, it invites them to reflect on what still feels meaningful versus what might no longer serve them. That sense of control reduces defensiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversation Starter #3: <\/strong>\u201cWould it help to go through this together so we can make sure the important things are preserved?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis frames decluttering as a collaborative and supportive process, not a demand,\u201d Pinarli shares. \u201cIt reassures them that their memories and legacy won\u2019t be dismissed or erased, which can lower the emotional intensity around letting go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, the goal isn\u2019t to bulldoze through a garage full of decades-old memories. It\u2019s to help Boomer parents feel heard while gently making room for something lighter, for them and for the kids who\u2019ll eventually inherit it all. Approaching the process with curiosity instead of frustration turns decluttering from a battle into a bonding moment. And who knows? Somewhere between the old china and the mystery boxes in the attic, there might be a few stories worth keeping long after the stuff is gone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201c3 car garage\u2026cannot fit a single car in there.\u201d Millennials with Baby Boomer parents have not been shy about airing their complaints about the older generation. Millennials have previously<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/749223136_1517420410418945_819628511771192600_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10403"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10405,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10403\/revisions\/10405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What millennials are saying online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Boomers struggle to throw things away<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to help Boomers declutter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Letting go, one story at a time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n