History – I’ve never really thought about my family history. I spend a lot of time preparing my kids’ scrapbooks so that they will always be able to look back and see pictures of themselves and read about funny things that they did. Unfortunately, this really is the extent of my interest in family history.
But while sitting outside with my dad this weekend, he told me he got some video of his sister talking about her and my dad’s family history. And he told me he’s trying to get his dad (who’s 92) to record how he and my grandmother met. I smiled and said that was a good idea.
And then this morning it really hit me what a great idea that was. If he doesn’t do that I will not have the information for my kids should they ever want to know where they came from. I don’t have it at all from my mom’s side and unfortunately both of her parents have passed away.
So here’s my grandparenting tip for today: Record your family history! Whether it’s in writing, sitting in front of a video camera or through a collection of pictures and journals, it doesn’t matter, just pass it on! My kids are going to ask me one day about their great-grandparents, and who from our family came over and brought us to America. I want to make sure I have the answers to their questions!
And here’s my parenting tip: Listen to your parents when they want to share their history! I really need to work on this more, because I know how much my dad loves to share his past.
The Ultimate Grandparents 
They actually have books for grandparents to record their childhood. It is by Thomas Kincade I think. It asks all sort of questions like what their favorite memory was with their father and mother. It is great. The only problem is that neither of the grandparents have filled theirs out yet even though I gave it to them over 5 yrs ago. They also have one for us to fill out for our kids. I think it is a must have. I can’t believe how much I had forgotten about my childhood until I started filling out this book.
Ok, I just verified the title. It is by Thomas Kincade and is called “Grandmother’s Memories to her grandchild” they also have one for a father/mother/grandfather.