Who owns childhood property – the parents or the child?
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Who owns childhood property – the parents or the child?
A family friend gave me an antique violin when I was 8. It was missing strings so my parents got it fixed for me and from ages 10 to 14 took me to violin lessons. Upon entering high school, I stopped taking lessons, yet continued to play in my spare time. I was always told that it was my violin and it will travel with me. Now I am 22 and moving out. I leave soon and they are forbidding me from taking it with me, claiming it is theirs because they fixed it and took me to violin lessons. Whose violin is it?
Asked on August 15, 2011 New Jersey
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
I am so sorry that you are going through this. From the way that you have phrased the question here it appears that the violin was a gift to you and it is yours to keep. The fact that your parents fixed it for you by having it stringed was their choice. Same with the violin lessons. They did not have to do that. They chose to do that. Is it possible that they are unhappy about your moving and this is their way of showing it? It certainly sounds like it. Try and calm down and sit with them. Let them know that you very much appreciate all that they did by helping you gain the ability that you have with the violin and that you wish to be able to keep up the talents they helped foster. You catch more flies with honey, as they say. Good luck.
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