![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It was a very big attic, and it was very full when their mother died and they had to clean out the house. When she and her brother grew out of toys or clothes (as children will), they were boxed up and stored in the attic. If something broke (like a TV or radio, toaster, or other small appliance), her parents didn’t dispose of it they put it up in the attic. Karen’s parents were children of the Great Depression, so she grew up in a very cluttered home because they were taught that everything had value. If we were to write a dictionary, our definition of being a pack rat would be when many things (from a now grown child’s collection of preschool art work to a drawer stuffed with many take-out packets of plastic silverware) are kept long past when they can be appreciated or used. That’s the way people are, some more so than others. The above is from the entry for “pack rat” and we take issue with its second definition, because we all have some items that have sentimental or personal value that might not be needed or used. a person who saves things that are not needed or used but that may have personal or other value. A large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest. Some people can have an amazing quantity of stuff, but still not exhibit hoarding tendencies. More often, we encounter people who are pack rats – they hold onto things for some future intended purpose that might or might not ever surface. we will rarely refer to someone as a hoarder, unless we observe the characteristics shown on the Clutter-Hoarding Scale developed by the Institute for Challenging Disorganization. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |