24 Things Your Children Will Want to Know Someday About Your Life, But Won't Think to Ask Until It May be too Late
Does your life story read like it was straight out of a best-selling novel?
Maybe, or maybe not. Regardless, the life stories, knowledge and experiences you pass down, through some form of recorded life story, will be invaluable to your children and grandchildren now and especially in the future.
Of all the things that we wish that our parents had left us, I believe, it is most likely that they had told us more life story, experiences and memories.
Our Little Ones
From the day your children first stepped foot on that big yellow school bus to the day that they left home for college you were concerned that they were ready for life without you. You wanted to "be there" for them, didn't you?
Your life experience could provide valuable advice and guidance to your children. From the time they were little, you coached and prepared them for much of what life would throw their way.
Even now, your adult children probably rely on you for sound advice on things ranging from marriage matters to child rearing.
Your Children Grow Up
As your children advance and mature through all the stages of their lives, they will have a natural deep yearning to know and compare their life situation to that of your life, while in the same approximate stage of life.
Basically they'll wonder..."Am I doing things right. How would mom or dad handle this"?
The ability to "compare notes" inspires confidence This is derived in knowing that
their parents faced some of the same tough challenges early in their lives. This knowledge gives giving them the strength and perseverance to do the same.
Real Life Experiences
As just a young married couple, my wife Sheri and I struggled to make ends meet(typical I think). As newlyweds, there were a few times when all we had to eat in the kitchen was boiled noodles and nothing to put on them but catsup! I wondered if mom and dad ever experienced anything close to this.
As far as I knew, my parents always had plenty and never struggled like we did. On one occasion while back home on a visit, my mom mentioned that for a stretch of time when I was only an infant that "money was so tight that we wondered how we were going to make it to the next paycheck".
The Power of Journaling and Sharing Life Experiences
The above is only one example, of many, that I could give you. My mom's story made me have hope that there was still hope for us.
Here lies the power of journaling and preserving, at least, some semblance of a biography.
What About After We Are Gone?
THINGS YOUR CHILDREN WILL WANT/NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR LIFE:
YOUR DATING STORY AND EARLY YEARS :
- How, when and where did you meet mom/dad? How did you know he/she was the one?
- How, when and where did grandma and grandpa meet?
- What motivated you and kept you going when life got you down?
- Ever have a boss that you couldn't stand? How did you handle it?
- When grandma and grandpa passed away, how did you manage?
- If you've ever lost your job, describe your feelings and attitude.
- Tell of the day-to-day pressures of providing/caring for your children.
- Were you living on the "financial edge" when you were newly married? How did you get by?
AS YOUNG NEWLYWEDS, YOUR CHILDREN MAY WONDER...
- Did you and dad/mom ever argue?
- How did you decide who to spend the holidays with, each year?
AFTER BECOMING A PARENT, YOUR CHILDREN MAY WONDER...
- "What was I like as a baby, mom?"
- If you ever got any sleep as a new parent?
- What were the events (details) in and around their own birth?
- "How quickly did I learn to walk, talk and potty train?"
ONCE PARENTS OF TEENAGERs, YOUR ADULT CHILDREN MAY WONDER...
- "Will I ever live to see old age?"
- "More importantly will my teenager live to see old age?" ;)
- "Was I ever this unruly?"
BEING MIDDLE-AGED, YOUR CHILDREN MAY WONDER...
- How the effects of aging played on your mind and body
- What illnesses run in the family?
- How you dealt with the loss of your parents.
ONCE GRANDPARENTS THEMSELVES, THEY MAY WONDER...
- What becoming a grandparent for the first time was like for you?
ONCE A SENIOR CITIZEN THEMSELVES, YOUR CHILDREN MAY WONDER...
- How you dealt with bad health situations.
- How you dealt with the loss of a spouse.
- How you felt in your role as the family patriarch/matriarch.
- Weere there money challenges after retirement?
- What advice would you give on getting older?
Don't leave your children unprepared for all that lies ahead of them, once you depart this world.
Write down or record to audio all that you know your children will want to know about your life someday, but won't think to ask until it may be too late!
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