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I don't know your exact circumstances, but if your over 18 and your Mom does not own your home I'd tell her to mind her own business and change my locks (I might drop the least liked 1/5 to 1/3 of my collection to try and get her off my case first).
At some point you have to stop letting your folks call the shots in your life....advise is one thing, demands/pestering is another.
As to the smell issue, old women can develop sensitive and picky noses. Some friend's grand parents lived next door to me when I was a teen. The whole place reeked of stinky potpourri. We would play video games in a room and their grandma started complaining that it stunk in there. I never noticed a stink of any kind (the lousy potpourii reek decreased, but that was it). My friends did not stink, and my parents and friends would have told me if I stunk, so the only conclusion I can think of is that their grandma just did not like the natural smell of clean teenagers....
If the dresser reeks then stop storing your clothes in it.
If you are younger the following may better apply.
I'd probably in your shoes rank sets based on how much I like them, and sell off a fifth to a third of them physical volume wise (if things are moving too slow for your mom come up with a practical time table/detailed plan and tell them about it to get them off your back), and stand my ground. Don't get more until you have paired down to that, and focus on what you have (that will help build good faith). Also try to keep the space they consume and number fairly constant after pairing down (I try to sell about as much as I buy and constantly reevaluate which are keepers).
I'd explain to her that most of my sets sell for 40$ or more a piece (point out the higher valued sets more) unrestored and say that you would no sooner throw out your sets than she would throw away 50$ bills....There are antique radio collecting price guides in print, GET one beforehand to prove your argument (if she doubts you pull it out and look stuff up). Antique radios go up in value with time and are an investment. Also explain to her that this collection is a hobby that is a corner stone of who you are, and is of similar happiness value to a pet or a good girlfriend, and is something that you could never completely part with without great emotional pain that if she truly loves you she will not put you through that. If she has a collection (glass ware, dolls, figurines, etc.) say you won't listen until she throws her collection out, if I can't have a collection then you can't either, etc. If you may be going to college soon explain that working on these radios are teaching you fundamentals that will aid you in pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering and her messing with this could mess up your future.
Sometimes you can come up with good logical persuasive arguments that can allow you to calmly reason your folks into agreement with you (think it over carefully beforehand, and be ready for all expected responses, and quick/well witted in response to crazy unexpected ones). If no amount of calm logical debate results in a fair compromise sometimes you just have to get into a shouting match, and not back down from your position.....Sometimes parents get crazy stuck on a idea that they should not impose on their kids, and the only way to stop them is to stand your ground and or threaten to leave them or become destructive or a problem if they keep going after what you care about (would they rather have an addict, thug, daredevil, someone who permanently hates them, pervert, etc. or someone nice who stays out of trouble and collects antique radios?)....
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