The Way of the Wombat

I thin it is well worth while sitting and getting our parents to simply talk about their childhood - so many amazing things come to light.

I still have grandparents around, so I try to chat with them about their younger lives whenever I visit. I had an amazing time talking with lawnchair's grandmother the last time we visited before she died. I had known she was born in Scotland, but that didn't make sense with the rest of the family history I'd heard. Apparently her parents had been back for a visit when WWI broke out, and couldn't get back to New York for years. And since she was the child of a citizen, she returned under he father's passport. He died when she was 8 or so, so she had to spend a year or so getting the paperwork together to prove her American citizenship when she wanted her own passport when she was in her 30s (because the family decided to take the summer to drive to Alaska from New York in the 50s). I'm the one who got to hear all this because I was willing to take the time (and apparently it is frustrating to speak to mumbling men with mustaches when you're losing your hearing).