With families scattered all over the country today, communicating with grandchildren can be difficult at best. The old adage, “out of sight, out of mind,” comes into play with children. If they don’t see and talk to you fairly often, they forget. Sure, they know you when you visit, but an important emotional connection gets lost along the way.
Once upon a time, families mostly lived in the same area and extended family get-togethers were frequent. Kids grew up knowing that cookies could be found in Grandma’s kitchen; or that Great Aunt Susie is a bit “off.” Nowadays, they might not even know who crazy Aunt Susie is or that she even exists. Distance is not always a family friend. The current interest in geneology has helped some, but that doesn’t give you the funny stories and family history that went along with an ancestor’s name. Therefore, it’s up to us grandparents living in distant places from our children and grandchildren to find ways to connect, to pass on family history, who they came from and who they may even resemble. They may not care now but the day will come when they want to know more, and you may not be around to tell them.
Do your grandchildren know about deceased family members, or what life was like for you growing up? Do they even know the names of your parents? Some may be interested and some may not. Consider writing down your family history to share with grandchildren when they do reach the age to care.
My parents divorced when I was quite young and even though I seldom saw my father, his mother and sister worked hard to keep me in their lives. I visited them; they visited me. My grandmother sent me small gifts from time to time. She and my aunt wrote me letters and my Mother made sure I answered them. I met one of my paternal uncles when I was 14. He was nice and instructed his 14-year-old son to take me out and buy me something nice. That’s the only memory I have of him, as I never saw him or that cousin again. I never met my father’s oldest brother who had a daughter a couple years older than I. How nice it would have been to have known my only girl cousin. It is important for families to stay connected. But in this age of easy technology, letter writing is almost non-existent. If I want to reach my grandchildren, I’d better conform to their way of doing things or forget it. That may mean emails or cell phones, but it may also be through social media.
5 Ways to Pass on Family History
There are numerous books and journals on the market that allow you to fill in details about yourself and your family history. When a child reaches a certain age, he or she will appreciate that book as a gift. You could record videos of yourself telling interesting families stories and share those with the grandkids when age appropriate. Keep a journal and fill it full of family stories and anecdotes. Even include your feelings and beliefs. Hopefully, one day that journal will become a precious treasure. You could also write and publish a family blog and share it only with those you choose.
E-Books Are Fun!
How about writing an e-book full of stories about certain members of your family? Most kids are computer literate and would appreciate that format for receiving information. Perhaps each chapter could be about one person. For example, a chapter in my own e-book could be about my favorite uncle. I could write about his dedication to our country and service in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. There are a few stories about him that are unique to me and one day, my grown grandchildren may enjoy knowing about him. If you choose to use this method of sharing, be sure to include family photos.
Whatever You Do, Write It Down!
I’m not sure yet which route I will select to share information with my grandchildren that one day will be meaningful to them, but it’s important that I do something! Last night during a phone call, I told my oldest son an anecdote about something in my past. He commented that I should be sure to share that with his grown daughters. By this morning, I had forgotten it. Write down ideas as soon as they come to you! Yes, I later remembered what he and I discussed, but I might just as easily have never dug it out of my brain.
When in doubt about what to share with your grandchildren, write it down, put it away, and go back to it another day. Your perspective could change as the kids grow up. Just be sure to share bits and pieces from your own childhood, from the lives of your parents and grandparents, who they may not even have known. You might be surprised at how much they would enjoy hearing stories about their own parents.
