23 Oct
23Oct
Pros of Doing Family History
Cons of Doing Family History
Gives you a great life perspectiveFamilies aren't perfect
Gives you a sense of belongingYou may not want to know your ancestors 
Family History is a great serviceIt takes a lot of time
You can learn from ancestors' mistakesThere are millions of people
Families have been reunited through family historyIt can be hard to work with living family members, to find those who are deceased 

As the day of the dead approaches, millions of families prepare to celebrate their heritage. Bright colors, yummy food, music, and stories of loved ones will feel many homes. Have you ever thought about where you originated from? Do you want to know who your grandparents are or your great-great grandparents?

Family history has so many mysteries. I love looking at old pictures and reading stories from my ancestors. There are pros and cons to family history as well. Here are a few that come to mind.

Pros of Doing Family History

  1. Family History gives you a great life perspective. Learning about my great-grandma Sadie with a lazy husband that never worked, no money, a lot of hard work, and tears. My life seems easy. I have a comfortable home and a wonderful husband. I don't go to bed hungry and have a washing machine that works. I am so grateful for her stories to remind me to keep going!
  2. Family History gives you a sense of belonging. Do you feel like you don't fit into a group? As you lose yourself in stories, you start to realize that you mean a lot to your ancestors! They want you to do well and are cheering for you. What would make them proud?
  3. Service always lifts your mood. You may not consider finding family members a service, but it is! You don't know who is searching to find their family, and you might be the one to fill in the missing piece.
  4. You learn from your ancestors' mistakes. All of us come from someone that didn't make the hottest decisions! My mom would read us family stories when we were little. I remember one family in particular, "The Wild Brown Brothers," who would often drink way too much and cause tons of problems in the town. It is not wise to forget the mistakes of others! Instead, try and learn from them. 
  5. Families can be reunited through family history. There are many amazing stories of children meeting parents or siblings for the first time because of a DNA test. Can you imagine the joy as you finally are all together again?

Cons of Doing Family History

  1. Families aren't perfect! Often people that should be our best friends hurt us. Family history can sometimes leave us bitter. For example, I recently learned that one of my grandmas may have been abused. It hurt to find out what happened in her childhood!
  2. You may not want to know who your parents are. If you found out you were adopted, what would you do? I hope someone would have, told you!
  3. It takes a lot of time! Hours and hours of looking for a picture of a family member and no luck. It has been super frustrating as I have searched everywhere for a photo of my husband's great-grandma. It has to be here somewhere!!
  4. There are millions of people! Who decided to name all of the girl's Mary? All of the boys John with the last name of Smith? Pull my hair out! Sometimes you will never really know which one is which!
  5. It can be hard to work with living family members. Did you stop talking to your sister 50 years ago because she married your boyfriend? Well, she also has all of the family pictures. Bummer!

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decisions possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team.

Written By: Sarah 

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