We’ve all heard the stories about how our dads had to walk five miles to school uphill, both ways…in blizzards. Sure!

Or, how about Uncle Charlie and his four brothers who shared one small bed in an attic where the windows leaked and the walls had no insulation. Remember him lamenting how they had to shake snow off the quilts when they got up in the morning? Oh, brother!

Don’t forget the story of grandpa, who as just a kid had to build a barn and there wasn’t even a lumberyard from which to order the wood. Tell me another one!

Wait a second, as a very young man my “Gramps” DID build a barn.

Is it really necessary to repeat those old family stories?

Studies by psychologist Marshall P. Duke of Emory University shed light on the importance of having a good family narrative.  Says Duke,

Even if the stories are embellished a bit for dramatic effect, hearing tales of family experiences is beneficial to the next generation and may help them become stronger adults. These oral histories (told in bits and pieces over the years and not in lecture form) gives young people a solid foundation when it comes to dealing with adversity in their own lives.

“Click here” on any of the samples above from some “ordinary” people I have known and listened to the stories they have told.  There is nothing “ordinary” about them.