Many people think of Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer, a last chance to relish hot dogs (with or without relish) and the outdoors. However, the origin of Labor Day goes back to 1885 when the day was first observed to honor the achievements of America’s workers.
So in addition to firing up the grill this holiday weekend, why not spend some time celebrating your parent’s or grandparent’s (or your own) professional achievements? Whether he or she was an accountant, or soldier, architect, or homemaker, asking questions and creating a life story can provide a meaningful, memorable and respectful way to spend precious time together and celebrate Labor Day. This isn't work; it's a labor of love!
Make Sure It's Okay.
It's not always automatic that folks want this to happen, so be sure to check first. If it's a go, set aside some time to sit together and ask about his or her career. There are a number of ways to do this. You might give a curious grandchild the assignment to act as a “reporter” for the day, coming up with questions to ask. Or, you might simply gather the family around for a casual conversation. Here are a few sample questions to get you started:
Capturing your conversation in a life story creates a memento you can save forever. It also provides a tangible way to honor your parent’s career and remind them of how much they contributed. There are a number of formats or mediums you can try for this:
So in addition to firing up the grill this holiday weekend, why not spend some time celebrating your parent’s or grandparent’s (or your own) professional achievements? Whether he or she was an accountant, or soldier, architect, or homemaker, asking questions and creating a life story can provide a meaningful, memorable and respectful way to spend precious time together and celebrate Labor Day. This isn't work; it's a labor of love!
Make Sure It's Okay.
It's not always automatic that folks want this to happen, so be sure to check first. If it's a go, set aside some time to sit together and ask about his or her career. There are a number of ways to do this. You might give a curious grandchild the assignment to act as a “reporter” for the day, coming up with questions to ask. Or, you might simply gather the family around for a casual conversation. Here are a few sample questions to get you started:
- How did you come to choose your career? What sort of education/training did you have to go through for your job?
- What were some challenges you faced and problems you solved?
- Did you have fun at work?
- Did you make any big career changes? What was that like?
- How did your field/industry change over the years?
- Do you have any wisdom or advice for younger people pursuing that career today?
Capturing your conversation in a life story creates a memento you can save forever. It also provides a tangible way to honor your parent’s career and remind them of how much they contributed. There are a number of formats or mediums you can try for this:
- These days it's easy to make a video of the conversation. If you want to go all out with this, you can actually create a professional legacy video that you can all treasure. One of the resources we recommend is Dan Gelfond, a.k.a. "Dan the video man," who creates personal history interviews. Dan puts everyone at ease and gets so much out of the "hero" of the hour. If you want, you can reach him at (847) 940-9999 or click on the link above to see his website.
- Another way to go is to type the interview up into an article, like you would see in a magazine. Embellish this with head shots and other old photos that capture your parent at work.
- Compile a scrapbook using short quotes and longer passages from your conversation. Mix in photos, licenses, certificates, letters, business cards—whatever materials you can find with your parent.