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Writing Family History - Flunking Family HistoryIf someone were to give your children a "test" that covers many of the details of your life, and included questions about their own family's history, how do you think they'd do? If your children are school-aged, no doubt, they are inundated with tests of all kinds. When they fail those tests, or do horribly on them, we are often quick to blame the school and the teacher.
After a number of years of living (studying) in the same home with you, you'd figure that they'd know a lot about your life, the lives of their grandparents and more. In this scenario, the home is the school and we, the parents, are the teachers. I fear that, when it comes to communicating significant family history and why it is significant, many of us may not be receiving as good of a grade as we would hope for. Believe me, it's not that we don't want to teach our children about these things, but in today's hectic lifestyle, the traditional opportunities to share these stories and memories are fewer.
In the past, my job involved helping 17 to 27 year olds with background investigation paperwork. For this, some family information was required on the application. I would estimate that nine times out of ten, these individuals would have to call someone to be reminded of their parent's birth dates and their grandparent's full names. It always made me wonder. What else didn't they know about their own family? Okay, ready? Here are some sample test questions.How would your children do? How would you do, if given the same questions about your parents and grandparents? Well, how do you believe your children would have done? How well could you have answered those same questions about your parents? No one has been given a guarantee that they'll live to be old and gray. It really makes one stop and think, when confronted with this sobering reality.
Then wonder... "Will my children know, or will they someday understand the happenings in my life that..." Then there are these questions...
One day, this test will actually be given to your children. It will come, most likely, from the sweet innocent voice of your grandchild or great grandchild. They will have questions about you. Questions that will help them understand who they are and how they fit into the family, historically. Will your child have the right answers to give them? Will they have an answer at all? Nothing beats an open book test. When you keep a journal or create a record of your life, the test your child faces someday, will indeed, and thankfully, be an open book test. Won't you get started today? If you like this article, please share it with your Facebook friends and or leave a comment, below. From Writing Family History back to Family History Articles From Flunking Family History back to FamilyHistoryProducts.com Homepage |
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