WARNING: Genealogy Pox is very contagious to adults who have taken on the adventurous task of compiling their family histories.
I got this from the blog G'ma Joyce's Views. Joyce makes the point that her husband doesn’t share her passion for genealogy, but tolerates it to the point of actually being an enabler. You may find yourself in a similar situation.
Accept it, not everyone shares your passion for family history. You will probably find that many of your family members who show an interest in what you do won’t actually offer any help. Go ahead and ask them and you’ll see what I mean.
And those kids that don’t pay attention when you tell them stories? Well, truth is, they probably are absorbing more than they let on and they’ll be the better for it. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that an “Emory University study of 65 families with children ages 14 to 16 found kids' ability to retell parents' stories was linked to a lower rate of depression and anxiety and less acting-out of frustration or anger.”
So a case of “genealogy pox” isn’t all that bad. Here’s more about the malady from G’Ma Joyce (for the complete post, visit her site):
SYMPTOMS: Continual complaint from patient as to need for more names, more dates, and places of births/deaths. Patient has a blank expression, and is sometimes deaf to spouse and children. Has no taste for work of any kind except feverishly looking through records at libraries and courthouses and spending hours online at genealogy websites.
TREATMENT: Patient should attend genealogy workshops, subscribe to genealogy websites, magazines or societies and be given a quiet corner/room in the house where he or she can work alone.
REMARKS: The sicker the patient gets, the more he or she enjoys it.
Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site, send him an e-mail or follow him on Twitter.
Flickr photo courtesy of Kimberley.♥.
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