What stories define my life?

My children have been asking me to tell them stories about myself lately. The biggest requests are stories about when I am scared, lost, or got myself into some trouble.

I remember as a kid that I wanted to know so much about my parents…what were they like as kids? Did dad feel the same way about situations as I did? Did we look at the world the same way?

I was always disappointed when my dad or mom couldn’t tell me a story. Dad and mom would always tell me “I can’t think of one right now” or “What exactly do you want to know?”

Now that I am a parent, I understand the challenge. What stories define my life? I have done some colorful things in the past…do I want my children to know? What is interesting to my kids? What will they understand, what will they misinterpret?

I understand now that when someone asks you to tell a story about yourself, the task can be difficult. Especially when you are hurrying to church on a Sunday morning after a long, active Saturday. Or after a long week of work when I just want to relax. Summon up a story? That’s hard work.

The story requests do make me think, though. How much do I remember about myself? It isn’t as much as I had hoped. Coming to that realization has been hard for me.

The conclusion for me is to try to remember as much as possible and write it down. Maybe they’ll find it and be interested some day. I have been scared, lost and in trouble. There is value in passing that experience to my kids if for no other reason than it will bring us closer together.