by Jay Payleitner
Grandparents, what are your most vivid memories from childhood?
Did you welcome your father back from World War II? Or Korea? When did you get your first television? Do you remember the JFK assassination? Did you play with the first yo-yos, hula hoops, or Barbies? Were you a fan of Elvis or the Beatles?
Do you have memories involving your faith, or a hobby? Maybe you spent summer afternoons fishing a certain place on the creek near your house. Or your grandmother taught you how to cook a dish from a family recipe.
Is there an interesting story from your life or your family history? Maybe it’s about how your parents or grandparents met, or your first job in high school. You probably have old photos from weddings, graduations, holidays and family reunions.
Those are more than memories. Those are points of connection to the next generations.
Are you afraid young kids will be bored? Ask yourself what you remember most about your grandparents. Don’t you now wish you would have heard more stories from them? Share those things with your grandchildren soon.
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Jay Payleitner is a best-selling author of more than a dozen books on fathering and family life, as well as a speaker, and radio producer. Recent books include 52 Things to Pray for Your Kids and What If God Wrote Your Bucket List? He and his wife, Rita, live near Chicago, where they’ve raised five great kids (and now have three grandkids) and have loved on ten foster babies.
