Heirloom Inspirations for Your Children
Every family has stories to tell, humorous, sorrowful, unforgettable history and anecdotes that are often passed down from generation to generation. Understanding the past, after all, is a valuable key to the future. Of course, while stories told by mouth can give the younger generations a great deal of ideas about their origins, nothing can tell them better about those who came before than the heirlooms left behind.
If you are a parent thinking of collecting mementos and precious objects that you can leave as legacies to your children, then you must know what sort of materials will have enough value to be handed down, not just materialistically but also sentimentally. These heirloom inspirations will help you make up your mind and make the sorting and choosing an easier job.
A Boxful of Jewelry
The most usual choice for heirlooms is jewelry. Women, especially mothers and grandmothers, often go the extra mile to take care of their jewelry pieces. It is not surprising since these are often valuable, not just in the monetary sense but also in sentimental terms.
Lockets, rings, necklace, and pendants are some of the jewelry that you can pass down to your children. Just remember to divide them fairly if you have several children, taking care to give each of them a piece of equal value to avoid future squabbling.
Mothers will often hand down their diamond engagement rings for their eldest son, a fitting gesture that will make his proposal even more meaningful. If that is the case, your daughter should receive something of equal value to the ring, like your emerald necklace.
Paintings and Wall Art
A home is not complete without statement pieces that adorn its walls. Paintings and walls arts can be ideal heirlooms for your offspring. The well-off families often have painting collections that can be sold for a fortune, but even the low-valued ones are still rich in history and sentimentality. Your children can bring these artworks along as they build a family and a home of their own, having something close at hand to remind them of their childhood home and the memories they have made with their parents.
The Collection of Books
If you are a book collector, chances are, your library at home must be filled with volumes of books that increase in value as time goes by. Many first-edition books that have become classics can be auctioned at high returns.
Aside from that, there is, of course, the sentimental value that is interlaced in the books’ pages. How many times have you leafed through them, whiling the time away, learning more about life, and understanding the world at large through the magic of words? You can pass down your books to your beloved children, along with your love for reading.
The Precious Homewares
Every home has treasures in the kitchen and dining area. Mothers often keep their homeware just as carefully as they do the jewelry. China plates and Waterford sets are not only steeped in family history, having been handed down from generation to generation; they are also enduring and valuable. Your children will certainly realize their use on special occasions, forging newer memories with the younger family members.
A Treasure Trove of Photographs
Photographs are often taken for posterity’s sake. They are timeless testaments to the times gone by, freezing precious moments forever. Once in a while, you can take them out of the box and walk down memory lane, often with wistfulness and nostalgia.
Give your children the chance to do the same by making sure to take and keep family photographs. You can even make personalized photo albums that will make a wonderful legacy. They will appreciate their value once they need a reminder of a home filled with love and devotion. This will inspire them to carry on with the tradition when they have children of their own.
The Antique Furniture
The dresser in your master suite and the Victorian-era dining chairs are more than just furniture. They have witnessed the failures and triumphs of those who came before. It is only fitting to choose some of them as heirlooms for your children as they do not only mean higher value in the market as antiques are bound to be prized but also serve as a fond reminder of their family ties.
Final Thoughts
It may not be as often practiced in modern times, but passing down heirlooms to your children is actually a tradition that can bring your family closer together. That being said, you should be careful of selecting pieces that will not only suit your children but will also make them appreciate the heirlooms’ value.
Make sure that, when you do give it to them, you also include the story behind it so they will be able to understand the worth of each precious item to your family. This is also another way to let the future generations learn where they come from.
