I finally started writing down my grandpa's stories after a friend called me out

My buddy Mark was over last month and I was telling him about my grandpa's time in Korea. He just looked at me and said, 'You know all that, but your kids won't. It's just in your head.' That hit me. So I bought a cheap notebook and started writing everything I could remember, like how he described the cold and the sound of the trains. I'm up to about 15 pages now. Has anyone else tried something like this to save family stories before they're gone?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_anderson10d ago

But what if some stories are meant to be forgotten? My own grandpa had some really dark, messed up tales from his past that honestly, I'm glad died with him. Writing it all down makes it permanent. What about the ugly family secrets, the shameful stuff, or just plain boring details no one will ever care about? Sometimes a story being "just in your head" is where it belongs, not passed on to haunt the next generation.

janah8310d ago

Hard disagree, some ugly truths need to be known.

evakelly10d ago

Actually, writing it down doesn't have to mean publishing it for the whole family. You can record those dark stories in a private journal, then decide later what to do with it. That way the truth isn't lost, but you also control if or when it gets passed on. Keeping it just in your head means it really does die for good.