The Promise
I will share a story about my grandparents on social media or with my family. I will pledge to do my part for them by staying home.
Impact of the Promise
“I wish I’d asked my grandparents more about their lives.” Many of us don’t think about the importance of this regret until after our grandparents are gone. Right now, while we are so focused on keeping our elderly population healthy and safe from COVID-19, is a great opportunity to connect with our grandparents. Even more, “Stories about our parents and grandparents provide models of both good and bad times, as well as models of overcoming challenges and sticking together,” says Robyn Fivush, Ph.D., one of the researchers behind the study The Power of Family History in Adolescent Identity and Well-Being. Our grandparents have been through so much in their lifetime; what a better time to learn about what they’ve overcome.
Action Items
Do
- Choose a story about something that makes your grandparents or parents special to you. Some ideas:
- What is your favorite memory of your grandparents/parents?
- What is a saying that your grandparents/parents always used and why?
- What is your funniest memory that involves your grandparents/parents?
- What is the best gift you’ve ever received from your grandparents/parents?
- What is the most interesting story your grandparents/parents have ever told you?
- Find more ideas here: http://getswitchedonblog.com/questions-to-ask-your-parents-and-grandparents/
- Make a short video of the story. You can use family pictures in the video too. Keep video around 2-4 minutes long.
- Share the video on social media or with your family.
- In your social media post, include an action, like washing your hands or keeping at least 6 feet apart, that you are going to make sure you do to protect the people you wrote the story about.
- Challenge other family or friends to share their stories!
Don’t
- Don’t go see your grandparents. Call them on the phone or video call them to talk.
- Don’t use combative language when sharing this post on social media. The point is to show people that we all have older adults we care about and need to help.
- Don’t forget to include the “what’s at stake” by adding a step that you will take to safeguard your loved ones.
Resources:
“98 Questions to Ask Your Parents and Grandparents” http://getswitchedonblog.com/questions-to-ask-your-parents-and-grandparents/ “We’re Losing Generations of Family History Because We Don’t Share Our Stories” https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a29610101/preserve-family-history-storytelling/
Element of Honor
Hope
I believe that both I and the world around me can get better. I have hope and I wish to be what others have hoped for. I may not be around to see the impact of my promises, but I have faith that my actions were needed then and that they are needed now. I believe in the impact of a single individual. I have hope that others can believe the same.
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