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Now Is A Great Time For A Family Reunion

Yesterday, my family and I went to Connecticut for a gathering of my mother in law’s family. It was a beautiful day for a drive, and the kids did pretty well in the car for the long ride there and back. There were a couple of familiar faces there, and I did meet some relations that I had not yet met. One of the most important things about this family reunion is that, as sad as it is, it could possibly be the last time that everyone is able to see the last remaining member of the oldest living generation. … Continue reading →

Dog Days of Summer: Pets on Vacation

Pet owners face a unique situation when making our summer travel plans: we have to worry about our pets. Do we only go places where we can take our pets, or do we try to find care for them while we’re away? Website Pet Relocation released its third annual Summer Pet Travel Survey. They found that 70% of the people questioned plan to travel with their pets. If you want to take your animals along with you on vacation this summer, there are a few things you have to consider. Make sure you can bring your animal with you where … Continue reading →

Casual Activities for Your Family Reunion

So, you are planning a family reunion for some time this year. You may have some of the details already taken care of such as the date, location, guest list, and food. All of these things contribute to a wonderful reunion. Activities are also important to ensure that your event is both fun and memorable. If the thought of planning activities for your family reunion has you rolling your eyes, do not worry. You do not have to schedule an activity for every age group for every minute of your event. In fact, sometimes less is more and activities that … Continue reading →

So You Think Someone Already Did Your Family Tree?

With all of the wonderful options for building and sharing family trees online, you may wonder whether you will have to do any digging through record books in order to trace your own family history. While it is possible that others have already done some of the research that you need to fill in the branches of your family tree, it is very likely that you will still have to do some research of your own. It is also possible that you may have to quite a bit of research on your own if the information that you find has … Continue reading →

You Can Plan Your Family Reunion on Facebook

If you are thinking of planning a family reunion, have you considered doing much of your event planning via Facebook? One of my husband’s second cousins is planning a reunion for this July. A few months ago she created a Facebook group for all of the family members that have Facebook accounts. I am subscribed to the group, so anything that any of the forty group members posts to the group page shows up in my inbox. Not only do I always know the latest developments such as the date, location, and who is bringing what food (important stuff!), I … Continue reading →

It’s Family Reunion Planning Time

Even though we got some fresh snow here yesterday, I keep telling myself that spring is almost here. Spring is a good time to get started on planning a family reunion if you would like to have one this summer. Summer is a popular time for family reunions for a few reasons including nice weather, vacation time, and the opportunity to have the reunion at fun (and low cost) venues like a park or beach. With this in mind, I have collected a few ideas for fun family reunion activities. Perhaps they will whet your appetite for a reunion and … Continue reading →

Family Influence on Mental Health

I’ve been wondering and I’ve come to the conclusion that like so many other things in life, our mental health often represents our upbringing. I look at one side of my family. At my grandmother’s level of the family tree there were ten siblings. They were raised in a strong Catholic family, learned to help take care of one another (with ten of them, what more could you do), rely on one another, and be open and honest. Family was the focus of their lives. They had twelve people in a three bedroom house, so there was no choice but … Continue reading →

Family Reunion Planning: Why Have a Family Reunion

According to Genealogy.com, approximately 200,000 families hold family reunions each year. More than half of family reunion coordinators say their primary reason for holding a reunion is to keep in touch with other family members. Another quarter of coordinators hold reunions in an attempt to introduce their children to their family heritage. There are many other reasons why people hold reunions: to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, to get together one last time before someone dies, to carry on a regular tradition of getting together, and more. It is a common occurrence at my family’s funerals to hear someone say … Continue reading →

Advantages of Reunion with Birth Family for Child and Teen Adoptees

Many adoptive parents tell their children that they will help them search for their birthparents when they turn eighteen. However, more and more adoptive parents are reaching out to their children’s birth families earlier. Sometimes it is the adoptive parent who desires medical history, information their children may want in the future, or simply a chance to thank the birthmother and reassure her that her child is well and happy. Sometimes a birth parent makes the first contact. In other cases, it is the child or teen adoptee who indicates a strongly felt need or desire for information. Some children … Continue reading →

Preparing for a Family Reunion

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Many adoptees report feeling part of their immediate families, but never quite feeling like “part of the gang” at extended family gatherings. Especially when these reunions are of people who live far from each other and don’t know each other that well, much of the talk may center on who looks like who, on memories of someone your child never met, on family history and ethnic traditions which your child may be conscious of not being a part of. Even if your child is used to looking different from you and your spouse, being the only brown child in a … Continue reading →