All parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles!  Do you have someone getting ready to go BACK TO SCHOOL? Consider arming your students with stories from their own family history.

A study done in the mid 1990s by Dr. Marshall Duke and Dr. Robyn Fivush found that “the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned…[they have] a strong ‘intergenerational self.’ They know they belong to something bigger than themselves.”  They can get a sense that other loved ones faced challenges and overcame, adding chapters to their own life story.  How can we find these powerful Family History stories?

Sign in to your FamilySearch account.  When your tree appears go to the left-hand side of your screen and look for the drop-down menu for the different views of your tree.  Click on “Fan Chart.”  Once your fan chart appears you will find another menu for viewing your Fan Chart.  Choose Stories.  If there have been stories uploaded to your Family Tree you can select the person’s page and begin reading your ancestor’s stories.  You will notice on the right-hand side of the page a legend that will show you how many, if any stories, have been added.  If there are not any stories, then you and your family can begin adding your ancestor’s stories together!  Click here for some ways you can discover and record stories about your ancestors. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-stories-our-lives/201611/the-do-you-know-20-questions-about-family-stories)

All of us want our children to feel confident and protected when facing the ups and downs of life especially at school.  It is fascinating to know that through discovering their own family history our children will find more “personal power” as Elder Renlund assured!  And Elder Bednar promised when we participate in Family History work: “You will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.” –Janet Helland