As you know Darlings, I wrote a book!

Stories for My Grandchild: A Grandmother’s Journal was born from my deep desire for my fellow twenty-first-century grandmothers to build their legacies through stories. Designed as a series of writing prompts, Stories for My Grandchild makes it easy to capture your life: family history, memories, values, and personality. I have always said the greatest gifts we leave our grandchildren are the lessons we share, the adventures we catalog, and the love we shower. It is my heartfelt pleasure to present you with this journal to record your own treasured stories, family history, and personal vignettes.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to share with you how sharing stories from your past gives your grandchildren a sense of identity, a connection to their heritage, and a deeper relationship with you.

Shared Values

As any parent knows, when teaching children right and wrong, the persuasion often comes back to the family. For example: “We as members of the Good Family do not yell at each other at the dinner table,” or “While other families do that sort of thing, we The Goods, do not.” Telling your stories is a way for you to pass on your family values. Details of the narrative captivate kids, all the while absorbing the teachings and importance of the morals that threaded throughout. The last thought about shared values: Share them with yourself! More to my point: writing down your own story is useful for your own sense of being. Walking down memory lane, feeling compassion and love for the girl/woman you used to be and all the many experiences you had. You might just find that your values have shifted over time and that is valuable.

Keep Memories And Traditions Alive

The obvious benefit of recording your stories is to keep memories alive so future generations will know something about their roots. When children learn about the past, they are able to draw connections and get a familial historical perspective. When I think back, Darlings, I yearn for a journal from my ancestors. What was it like for them to move to this new country? What was the story of how my family members were born, how did they work, where did they live? If I had those stories to tell, I would keep my ancestor’s memories alive by retelling them to my 25+ brood of blended grandchildren.t

Strengthen Inter-Generational Ties

Sharing family stories is a way to strengthen inter-generational ties, enabling children to understand their cultural backgrounds. Providing a story of how you navigated a tough life moment, solved an insurmountable problem or deal with challenges can help children move through hard times. Their confidence grows as they understand that they aren’t alone in their struggle, that someone related to them went through the same experience. While we as mothers do our best to relay wisdom in solving life’s hurdles, to read the many stories of the many mothers that came before we is powerful.

Learn Valuable Life Skills

When kids pay attention, make connections, and ask questions, they learn valuable skills. When I was growing up, we didn’t have YouTube or the internet to show us how to do things. We had to ask an adult or friend for help or call in a professional. Not knowing how to do something and asking for help instilled in me a sense of curiosity and resilience. I know I didn’t know the answer, and I had to be resourceful to find it. While some of that “wonder” is destroyed by the internet, children will still find your tales intriguing because they’re coming from you. You lived during a different time and had to use the resources available.

Telling these stories teach children to have a greater appreciation of others and allow them to feel a part of something that extends beyond themselves.

This Mother’s Day, as you scroll through Amazon searching for that perfect gift for Mom, I hope you stop by and read about Stories for My Grandchild. My wish is for every mother (and grandmother) everywhere to have this book. If I could, I would wave my magic wand and drop a book off at every grandmother’s home all over the world. Why? Because it is important to leave your history, your story, your values and your loving thoughts for your grandchildren to have in their possession all of their lives.