Throughout my time speaking with people about my mission to help others “preserve their past through powerful personal stories.” I have had a lot of people assume that this topic was mostly for an older family member, usually a mother or grandmother who was collecting the family’s history.
I am here today to break this assumption and let you know why even if you do not fit into that group, you should be considering beginning to write your stories.
So who should be writing their stories?
Here are a few groups:
Parents
I mentioned moms are not the only ones who will want to share their stories, and the stories you might share as a parent can also shift as children grow.
New Parents
Begin documenting the baby’s first milestones
Parents of School-aged Children
Write stories that show growth. This is also a great age to show children where they fit on their family timeline. Share stories from before them.
Parents of Young Adults
Can now share more mature topics, how-to stories about navigating the world, and lessons you learned at that age.
Parents of Grown Adults
Now you are keeping memories of the past from being forgotten.
Parents are by far not the only ones with stories to pass along. My aunts and uncles had amazing lives and very rich stories to pass along to us.
Persons Without Children
Share adventures with nieces, nephews, partners, siblings, parents, friends, and the future generations.
Stories of life lessons, personal history, and gear towards your audience and purpose for the stories.
Grandparents have a line back further than many others in the family and a more urgent need to share.
Grandparents
Share stories of both shared experiences or ones that only you know.
Share stories celebrating the past but also acknowledging and sharing struggles. How are things different and the same?
Preserve and pass along papers, documents, letters and photos with written stories to make more meaningful.
As parents age it is common to feel that time is running out on hearing their stories in their own words.
Persons with Aging Parents
Collect family stories.
Help parents feel valued and know they will be remembered.
Help parents reflect and pass along their lessons.
Parents might be ready to share something they previously haven’t
There are many times as friends you can offer stories to other friends or family members..
Friends and Family
Pass along special stories at the birth of a baby.
Share lessons, recipes and story behind them, or personal reflections and history for those newly married.
Collective stories to remember a lost friend or family member.
And finally, there are those special people that are the family story tellers.
The Family Story Teller
Researches the history.
Collects the stories.
Documents the details.
And preserves the past!