Does Your Family Have A Story?

My father has told me a story about when he was a young man.  He was one of seven children, second oldest, and they were part of a large french Canadian family growing up in Saskatchewan. Every summer his father, a teacher, would pack the entire family in the station wagon and drive across Canada to visit the rest of the family in Quebec. Nine people in one car, with camping equipment on the roof, because of course they camped in camp sites on their way out east. Four people sat in the front bench seat, four in the back. The kids would take turns sleeping on top of the suitcases in the back of the station wagon. It’s a visual image that has stuck in my mind. 

When he told me and my sisters that story, it provoked pride in me. A part of my family past! it then made me think about the importance of family stories. Every family has a similar (or different) story that deserves to be kept, remembered and.passed on in some way. 

There are many different ways to keep and preserve them. One can tell them at reunions. Or you can make a space at family gatherings to tell a story or two. We can use questions about stories as conversation starters with older family member. “Grandma, tell me about what Christmas was like when you were young”. Some families tape their older family members telling a story, or write it down. Some even write novels based on their family histories. The sad stories are just as important to remember as the fun or funny ones.

A caution, though; sharing stories online on Facebook apparently doesn’t bring the same amount of joy. “There is plenty of evidence that interpersonal, face-to-face interactions yield a stronger neural response than anything you can do online” (Julianna Miner, professor of global and community health at George Mason University). Stories need to be told face to face for it to be impact full.

What are your family stories? I am sure you can remember a few. What would you want younger generations to remember about your parents, your grandparents? What tales stick with you that are unique to your family history, that talk about your culture? How can you ensure they are kept and passed on to future generations?

Think about it and talk about it with your family. It is those stories that make your family unique, that provides a sense of belonging to the younger generations. How can you track them, pass them on? In future blogs, I’m going to cover ways to keep those stories in unique ways.