DON’T LET FAMILY STORIES BE LOST AND FORGOTTEN
How this simple 2-page document helped one family grow closer:
“We have a family of 6 small kids and their grandparents (the parents of my wife and myself) are very involved in their lives: attending soccer games, Sunday dinners, birthday parties etc. However, as I reviewed the list of legacy-related questions presented in this document, I realized my children did not know basic elements and stories from my parents’ lives. These meaningful experiences are easily glossed over in the busyness of week-to-week activities. I knew of some of these stories, but not in the same detail. We wanted my children to experience our parents’ stories first-hand while they are still able to tell them.
Equipped only with the thought-provoking questions in this document, we arranged a “family home evening” and invited my parents to our home. With little preparation and for over an hour, our small children sat enthralled by stories of my parents childhood and upbringing. It is the most I have ever seen my children sitting in one place other than in front of the television. My parents took turns sharing their hobbies, adventures, schooling, friends, and challenges as kids. Compared with our usual pattern of structured lessons and enforced obedience, this time together felt perfectly natural, unforced, and simply the right thing to do. Because we only covered a small fraction of the listed questions in the time, we will be repeating this rewarding evening with both my parents and those of my wife, and our kids are looking forward to it. This experience helped bond our family together in a very unique and special way.”
– Dr. Jon D. Grant, Salt Lake City, Utah