One of the most valuable gifts a parent can give is the sense of family connection passed on through their stories. Too often a family’s history is lost when memories aren’t shared and stories are forgotten. Recording your parents stories ensures they will be around for your children to know. In doing so, not only are the facts preserved, but also the detail and richness that are only revealed when a story is delivered in person.
Below are three ways you can record your parents stories:
Recording a Parents Stories
~ Written Record ~
Like the notes in an old diary, a parent can record their stories in a journal or memoir. While they may not have the flair of a Laura Ingalls Wilder, writing one’s own stories at least ensures that stories are told in first person and are as accurate and detailed as can be remembered. A journal also has a special charm if written in a parent’s own handwriting.
Hiring a professional can take a memoir to a whole new level. A professional will conduct an interview to collect background information and then organize the stories and clarify points so they make more sense. They will also ask questions to prompt stories a grandparent may not have thought of on their own.
~ Audio Recording ~
Recording a parents stories in an audio recording has the advantage of preserving their voice and demeanor. Children who never met your parent, love to hear their voice just as much as looking at an old photo. If a child knew your parent but has since lost them, hearing their voice again can often be as comforting as spending time with them.
These days consumer recording devices are easy to find and use. A professional, however, can ensure your parent’s voice is clear and distraction free as they recount their memories. They can also transfer old scratchy audio off of cassette tapes and preserve it in a format that will not deteriorate with time.
~ Video Recording ~
Video adds a whole new dimension to a parents stories by preserving personality, facial expressions and voice, along with priceless information. Woven together with family photos, this captivating video memoir brings a parents stories and family history to life in a way the written word often struggles to do.
Families can record a parent using a smart phone, tablet or consumer video recorder. Or they may prefer to hire a professional to create a truly heirloom quality video memoir.
However you decide to record your parents stories, preserving them today will give your children and generations beyond a chance to know them as you do.
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For questions to ask your parents to learn more about their life story and your family history, visit my post: ’25 Legacy Questions’.
~ Legacy Videos ~
Give your parent or grandparent the gift of a lifetime by capturing their life story in a Legacy Video!
Here at Family Tree Video we produce Legacy Videos, modern-day memoirs that weave a filmed interview with a parent or grandparent together with family photos, documents, maps and other memorabilia. The result is a beautiful “moving portrait” capturing your loved one as they recount their life story, family history and memories – a gift your family will treasure for generations to come.
To learn more about giving the gift of a Legacy Video, visit us at FamilyTreeVideo.com.
Family Tree Video LLC
Legacy Video Production
(312) 402-6406
Susan Saunders
Owner/Producer
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‘Parents Stories’
“There are only two lasting
bequests we can give our children.
One is roots, and the other, wings.”
H. S. Carter
Parents Stories
Legacy Videos
Capturing Life Stories & Family History
for Future Generations
~ The Gift of a Lifetime ~
Family Tree Video
Video Biographies ~ Video Memoirs ~ Family History Videos
Family Documentaries ~ Anniversary Videos
Heirloom Videos ~ Video Tributes
‘Parents Stories’
~ Legacy Videos ~