A book of memories

Hi neighbors. I always encourage people to write down their memories of their childhood and early adult life. As a genealogist, I know these tidbits are real treasures.

How else can people of the future know about the real lives of their ancestors? If you have grandchildren, you qualify as an ancestor don't you? Just like being over 50 makes you an antique!

Recently I received a copy of a little booklet titled "Grandmother -- A Record Book of Memories" written by Linda D. Spivey.

This small book suggests questions that children might ask their grandmother and can be used as a gentle prod to the memory.

The copy I was given had the memories and stories of my children's grandmother in it.

The book is priceless because it gives insights into their grandmother's early life they would not have imagined.

Because our world is changing so quickly, every generation experiences a "generation gap." The daily lives of one generation have so many differences that it's difficult to understand how things can change so much in such a short time. Life for our parents and grandparents was drastically different than our own.

People born in the early 1900s had very different tools and ways of earning a living than their children and grandchildren.

Even we "Baby Boomers" born in the late 40s and 50s, have seen changes that make our childhood lives seem another world away from the childhood our grandchildren are experiencing.

With so many methods of communication available now, it's amazing how little we actually converse about. Do you know what your grandmother did at Christmas time? What foods her mother cooked on Thanksgiving?

Do your children know these things about you? You might be surprised at how little your own children know of your childhood. Your parent's and grandparent's childhoods might seem unimaginable to them.

As I read some of the questions about where did you go to school and what sports did you like; I got to thinking about some of the questions kids often ask older people. You might want to include some of these in your own memoirs.

"Grandma, why do your arms have baggy wings on them?"

"Grandma, did you have a pet dinosaur? What did it eat?"

"Grandma, you never ran in races did you?"

"Why do people need matches?"

"Did they have history when you were a kid?"

"Grandma, did you ever meet George Washington? Did you get his autograph?"

"What DVDs did you have when you were little?"

"How do you make pies that don't come in a box?"

"Grandma, did people get colds when you were a kid?"

"Did you ever meet potatoes before they come to the store?"

"Why did you walk to school? Didn't your Mom have a car?"

"Were there firemen when you were a kid?"

"Did you go to the moon back when people were going to the moon?"

"What kind of dog is a 'mutt'? Where did you buy it?"

"Were there still cats when you were little?"

"Grandma, will I get all wrinkly too?"

"What does a 'wringer' do?"

"Grandma, did you go to movies when you were a kid?"

"Did you have television when you were a kid? How did it run without electricity? There wasn't electricity way back then was there?"

"Did everyone really just take aspirin?"

"How did you stop your bike with no handbrakes?"

"Did they have drive-through windows?"

"How did you get your ATM card to work if you didn't have plastic?"

"Had anyone invented the piano yet when you were a kid?"

"What's a 45 record?"

"Did you play soccer?"

"Grandma, why are you old?"

Until the next time friends remember, children all want to know what your life was like in comparison to theirs. Please write it down for them to read later.

It might be enlightening to have them write down what they think your answers will be to the questions before you answer them. You never know what kids are thinking.