from you to me

An unusual one this. I cannot remember anything of my father and my mother disappeared when I was sixteen. The memories of her before then, were not what we call wholesome. So the concept of having some continuity for a future generation to look back on, I find appealing, but in some aspects of my own life, appalling.

The idea is, you complete answers to pre-ordained questions and then once finished, present the book back to the giver. It's all about (I'm supposing) the transfer of information and events, from one generation to another – a snap-shot of the past, a written time capsule for the grandson to establish continuity and know something of an earlier age.

On a post Christmas visit to my grandchildren, for a fuss over, a catch-up with their parents and a belated exchange of presents, I was gifted this book by my 6 year old grandson (via his mother of course) To say it's a tricky one is to understate just a little lot.

The questions begin innocuously enough, “Tell me about the time and place you were born....” and “What are your earliest memories?” “What was it like where you lived?” and what was the first music/book/etc., you bought? But after a while the questions ratchets up in significance a bit with questions like, “What was your mother like?” I'm not sure how I should answer this – brutal honesty would include phrases like 'extremely promiscuous' and '...had a cruel turn of phrase' amongst others.

Other questions like; “With hindsight, what would you have done differently?” “What do I NOT know about you?” Bloody hell, what do I put in this section? The numerous affairs I've had, my criminal record? (brief, but meaningful) or smoking dope in a sunny glade in the woods with his dad? “What is your biggest regret in your life?” The answer to THIS one will very much depend at what age he is when I return the book.

“What are your happiest memories?” is another question that will need either exclusion, censoring or, depending on the morals and mores of the day, blatant honesty. Yes, I HAVE led an interesting life and there is little I really regret, but I'm torn between not wanting to freak him out by telling all as it was and publishing and being damned.

It's an interesting concept, and I can see well enough how interesting it would be for the next generation but one to see what, and how his forebear behaved and lived. But what to include...ponder...ponder....… (more)