Family History Lessons

Posted by Susan Hyde Apr 7, 2007

Over the past week and a half, the importance of family has really hit home for me. First, my 82 year old friend and mother-in-law suffered a rather severe stroke. There were a couple of days when we really thought that she wasn't going to make it, but, thankfully, she is doing much better and was admitted to an excellent stroke facility yesterday afternoon. Grandma Hyde, or "Ging Ging" as the kids call her has really been the boys' only babysitter, and I was nervous about how the boys would react to her paralysis and speech difficulties, but when I took the boys to the hospital for a short visit, they each gave her a kiss, held her hand, and told her they loved her. The visit with Ging was good for grandma, and it was good for the boys, and, in the weeks and months ahead, as she recovers (or not), we will all learn good lessons in love, patience, and caring. I hope that the boys will grow from the experience.

On the heels of this health scare, I left with my children to visit my own parents who live in the Texas Hill Country. Although my boys are only 4 1/2 and 7, the importance of this relationship with their grandparents has never been more apparent. My older son Aaron, who is a Cub Scout, asks grandpa questions about how he became an Eagle Scout and has been sharing in some of the Easter food preparation with grandma. Robby, the younger sibling, has enjoyed playing catch with his grandpa (a former lefty pitcher for the University of Illinois!) and sharing snuggles and reading with his grandma.

In addition to building secure family relationships, learning family history also encourages an interest in the past.

• Have children strike up an email or letter correspondence with a remote grandparent, great aunt or uncle. Through these letters, students may learn what values and family traditions have been passed down through the generations and how world events may have influenced family decisions.
• Older children will benefit by formally interviewing older family members, or, if no older relatives survive, then they might be interested in interviewing a family friend or an older person in a nearby nursing home. Video taped or hand recorded interviews will become a valued piece of living family history.
• Create family trees and biographies for various family members. What was school like for the grandparents? What games did they play? What music, radio, or television programs did they love? Did they even have television? How did grandma and grandpa meet? What do they remember about various wars, political events, and locations? What was their relationship like with their parents?

Most importantly, a connection to the older generation fosters an understanding, respect, and empathy for the older generation that is too often lacking in our modern culture. I am hopeful that my boys will one day pass memories of their grandparents to their own grandchildren, and, in that way, continue to keep history alive.