Moms, it’s important that you concern yourself with the telling of your family’s story to your kids, whatever their ages.
Lynn W. Huber says, “I believe that the greatest gift we can offer to each other is the telling of and listening to our stories.” This helps us see our connection to others, helps us make sense of our own lives, and strengthens by seeing how it is with others. Jean Bolen says, “The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.”
And here’s a concern for those of us who missed out on certain stories from our moms. It comes from Katie Wiebe. “What makes the journey into old age terrifying to me is that I hear no one beyond the middle years inviting me urgently and loudly to cross the border because of its splendid advantages.” Katie goes on to say that a child has admiring fans in parents, siblings, and friends who help her cross into adulthood. But the older one gets, the fewer the number of people telling her how they’ve dealt with certain stages of life. Almost no one helps us cross into the land of the aging by telling their story.
Katie Wiebe then visited the Soviet Union, the place of her family origin. Upon her return she reported, “I returned with countless stories people told me about their lives. I came back with a renewed sense of the importance of story, especially for older adults. Stories bind the generations together. Stories bring to light dense abstractions. Stories show the pattern of living. Stories assert boldly, ‘I am a human being.’”
One last thought, moms, and this from Isak Dineson. “All the sorrows of life are bearable if only we can convert them into a story.” Don’t let your story or your family’s story go untold to your kids. -DJ
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