The joys and benefits of tracing your family roots

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Learning about your family will give you a great awareness about the social and environmental context in which you were brought up and will uncover the hidden factors that have helped mold the person you are today.

There are many reasons why you may start wanting to trace your ancestors. It could be that you are trying to find out something about your family history, find out about inherited diseases, or just a curiosity about who your ancestors were and whether they had inherited any characteristics or skills.

Knowing, recording, and preserving your family roots have a big impact on you, your family, and even the future generations of people you may never know. To be fully aware of the joys and benefits of tracing your family roots, read more. 

It Will Give You Connections

By tracing your family roots, you will have an idea on how you are related to all of your ancestors. Also, stories handed down from one generation to the next can inspire every member of the family—even your children and their future children. You can have a closer connection to your past and to your future as well. 

Old photos, letters, and journals may give you a glimpse into what your ancestors were really like, but it’s different when you can actually see or talk to them—or someone close to your ancestors, if they are already deceased, to know them better.

It Will Remind You Where You Came From

If you grew up speaking a few languages, then it’s more convenient to know about your family roots. Those languages were handed down by relatives who speak it, and their parents, or grandparents, passed it down to them. The foods you eat at family gatherings, or during holidays, are another symbol of where your family came from.

It Will Be Good For Your Children

Children love to hear stories about how their parents met, what their parents were like when they were young, and the everyday life of their grandparents. These kinds of old family stories provide a sense of grounding and belonging. In order to know who you are, and where you fit into this world, you need to know where you came from first. 

It Will Inform Your Health Choices

Are you at-risk for Alzheimer’s? Are you predisposed to Parkinson’s? Do you have an increased chance of cancer? It’s easier to know based on your family roots. 

Even though no one likes to bring up diseases or conditions that caused the death of their relatives and ancestors, it is still important for every member of the family to know. People who know that heart disease runs in their family will be able to seek advice from doctors about how to avoid it. People that have a genetically heritable disease in their genes can encourage younger members of their family to get tested for it. Stories about how relatives coped with a particular disease or condition will also provide hope to those who have it now. 

It Will Encourage Compassion

Knowing your family roots can help you find common grounds with other people. For example, children who are aware that their ancestors were immigrants may feel compassion towards people who are recent immigrants. By being aware of where you came from, it’s easier to have a successful relationship with people—even those who aren’t part of your family.