to be this upset?

[TiredMummy2]

I know that compared to a lot of the problems people write about this is very minor, but I really feel upset about this. I don't know if this is normal, or even if I'm having some kind of breakdown.

I don't know if any of you had the StoryTeller magazines and tapes when you were little (published early '80's). I had a full set of them with my sisters, and they have been at my mum's house since. I have thought lots of times about taking them, but thought it's not really fair for me to get everything just because I'm eldest, so I left them in case my sisters wanted them, but of course I would still have access to them. Then on Sunday I found my mum has sold the lot on ebay for £80, she has given them to me so I can record the tapes before posting it off, but it is not the same, and I will never have time to photocopy all of the magazines, even if I did it will not be the same. I know it sounds stupid as it is only storytapes but I can't stop crying, the thought of packing it all in a box and sending it to someone makes me feel ill.

I really feel angry, I was trying to be nice and now I have lost something that was really important to me. I feel like just saying I'm not giving it back and we aren't posting it to whoever bought it and she can refund them, but my husband seems to think I can't do that, and I am struggling to do it as I have always been a "good girl" and done the right thing. If it's the money she is bothered about I would give her the £80, I would give her more than that if she wanted, but I don't think she would accept money from me.

Thank you for reading my message, sorry it's so long but I feel like a part of my childhood is being stolen from me and as I said I can't stop crying, the kids have asked why I'm crying and I feel really pathetic not to be able to give a proper answer.

if you are that upset, and she is your mom after all, then tell her how much they mean to you. and then find a solution whereby you can keep them.
do not, under any circumstances get rid of them, cox you will regret it for life.

"it's not unreasonable to think that the mother might think they were a load of junk."

a load of junk she could sell on eBay for £80

clearly of no value to man nor beast

Its all about perception though, innit? OP (and skid) see precious artefacts lovingly kept safe at mammys house....mammy sees boxes full of old crap, thinks, hey theres always some fool will buy any old shite on ebay, dd's haven't mentioned them or touched them in 20 years, bets get rid.

If they really mean that much to the OP she has them, she can keep them, no biggie. I think the outrage at somebody daring to sell something from their own home that has been untouched for aons is a bit misplaced though.

I also had all the story teller tapes and comics, don't have them anymore though sadly. I often wish I did as there were some great stories in them,I loved The wild Swans it was my favourite and Grogre the Ogre. I also remember Rhubarb Ted,I even remember the picture in the comic.

YANBU. My mum used to do stuff like this all the time. Thankfully she's stopped now, but I remember how upset I was when I'd found my books had been given away - some real treasured favourites that would take quite a bit of cash to replace now (completely out of print!).

Give your mum the £80, and e-mail the seller saying the items are no longer in her posession and are not hers to sell.

Of course it's about perception - and there are two concepts in dispute - not just the "precious artefact" but also the "getting rid"

Listing something on eBay is a process involved enough that it must trigger thoughts about the value of the thing being sold and the kind of person who might want to buy it.

If the "getting rid" consisted of throwing the "precious artefacts" into a bin liner, my view of this would be entirely different (and far more sympathetic, having been on the receiving end of tears and histrionics for such treatment of "precious artefacts" myself in the past).

I cannot understand how you could go to the trouble of selling your daughters' stuff and not trouble yourself to first check whether they might like it.

I can fully understand the impatient decluttering hand fucking a load of stuff in the bin and not realising its worth.

Both perception and family dynamics I think.

My grandma threw out my all my mum's things when she ran away from left home, including Jimi Hendrix and Beatles autographs

On the one hand, Grandma genuinely had no idea of the value of these, either monetarily or emotionally. On the other hand, she was really angry at my mum escaping to the other end of the country.

In fact when Grandma died, Mum cleared her house without hardly a look at anything. To her credit she checked with me first if I wanted anything, but you can see she'd learned to place no sentimal value on things ...

sentimental

Tell your mother you would like them, offer to buy them, as well as anything else that you cherish, that she has.
My mom gave away all my things without asking. She is very unsentimental herself.