Family Support-Asset 1-Part 2

More Ways for to Offer Family Support

Last week I discussed the very important developmental asset of offering your children a sense of family support. This week I want to share five fun ideas that can expand upon and enhance what you already are doing to offer loving support.
1. Create a family tree together: Gather information about as many family members as you can going back as far back in time as possible, and then arrange this information on a chart to create the classic “Family Tree.” Interview family members both far and near by making phone calls, sending letters with a list of questions, emailing them, use facebook.com or talk to them in person. Get dates and details of their lives and all the family members they know about. If you want to delve deeper into this process, you can check the Genealogy section of your public library or go on the Internet and consult with websites dedicated to helping discover and create family trees or genealogies. You could also search town, city, and state historical societies; and/or visit or contact the nearest branch of the Mormon Church’s genealogy library, either on the Internet or by writing to: Branch Genealogical Libraries, The Genealogical Society, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150. You don’t need to be Mormon to use these resources. Also, you can search public records. To find out how, write to: Consumer Information, Center-2, PO Box 100, Pueblo, CO 81002. Request the pamphlet titled “Where to Write for Vital Records.”
2. Create a family history scrapbook: Scrapbooks are very popular these days and materials are available on the Internet and at many crafts stores. Fill your family history scrapbook with photos and other memorabilia-like report cards, birth announcements, news articles about family accomplishments or milestone events, post cards from trips you have taken together or individually. The possibilities are endless. Include something from or about each family member. Save things along the way and update the scrapbook together every few months. Make an event of it.
3. Make a family timeline: Paste or tape a string of pages together upon which you can record all the important events and dates in your family’s life. Events like birthdates, marriages, graduations, new jobs, retirements, and any changes your family feels noteworthy can be strung out along the timeline. Add pages as time passes and new events and milestones occur.
4. Make a family time capsule: Find a container (a special box, ceramic pot with a tip, a large jar) and decorate it together. On a special day, create an event around placing in the container (the time capsule) information about your family; messages from each person; goals, dreams, wishes of each person; that day’s newspaper, current photos, etc. Then store the time capsule in a safe place and make a plan to open it in a set number of years, perhaps at a reunion party.
5. Start a new family tradition: One idea might be to make the above activities a monthly or yearly event that includes everyone. Other ideas might be to plant the family garden together each year, or to create an annual celebration of family unity; have a monthly movie party where everyone watches someone’s selection for the month. Use your imagination to create fun events to look forward to!