I never really knew my grandparents. To me they were simply these wonderful people who stopped by the house from time to time to take me on long walks and teach me important life lessons. One of my grandfather’s gifts to me was a collection of short stories by Hans Christian Andersen. Inside, on the title page, he had written, “Silence is golden.” Suffice it to say, I was a real chatterbox.

It saddens me that it is too late to get to know my grandparents. Most of my knowledge comes from stories my father and mother tell me—stories that make up their memories, not mine.

This is perhaps one of the biggest problems with living overseas. Far from relatives, in a completely different time zone, our correspondence with extended family is mostly limited to the occasional email and phone call. Nowadays with Skype, kids are able to put a face to the voice, but it can’t replace quality time spent in person.

“My daughter Sophie speaks to her grandparents about once a week over Skype, and her aunt about once or twice a month,” says Sam Goodman, Canadian father of one. “Sometimes we’ll also Skype her cousins. It's definitely different from when I was growing up.”

Without close contact with extended family, children are denied a valuable asset when it comes to learning about their family history. Grandparents are a wonderful source of information and it is important that they share their knowledge with the younger generation. “Children need to have a sense of history. It's part of understanding who they are," writes family history expert and author Maureen A. Taylor in her article Why Genealogy Is Important for Children. “This includes their own personal history, as well as how world history influenced family decisions.” At the same time, she says, it instills in children a sense of responsibility when it comes to preserving their heritage.

So where should parents begin? It goes without saying that most children won’t be very receptive to the standard “back in the day” quips (probably because these are often used as a means of getting them to realize just how good they have it). But keep in mind that children are naturally curious, a trait that should work in parents’ favor when attempting to explain genealogy.

One way to begin the conversation is by talking about yourself. After all, most children relish the idea of miniature versions of their parents doing silly things and living without modern day conveniences. “Share your favorite childhood foods. Prepare a recipe your mother used to make and explain where it came from and why it is your favorite,” Taylor suggests. “Find photos of you as a small child. Identify the older people in the photographs and give their relationship to you.” Doing so helps spark an interest in your child to know more about who you are as a person, not just as a mother or father. This will open the door for further questions about the rest of your family.

And remember: be open. Don’t just share the facts—where you were born, where you went to school and what your first car was. Share the stories. As Taylor says: "While adult genealogists can get a rush from looking at a census sheet or handwritten church records, a child cannot make a personal connection through those documents. They want to know the who and where and why of their ancestors." One of my favorite stories my mom shared with me was when her brother—my uncle—dumped an ant hill on her head, to my grandmother’s horror.

Expat families with adopted children may find mentioning the subject of genealogy rather difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Keep in mind that these conversations may actually help to create a stronger sense of family as you chat about the adoption process (if age appropriate) and add your children’s names to your family tree. Taylor even suggests discussing the name selection process if their names were changed, a name was added or if they are named after others in your family.

In the United States, most primary school teachers make a point of teaching students about genealogy. Students are asked to draw out their family trees, interview their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and then bring their findings in to class. Here in Beijing, the subject is rarely taught with such depth as collecting information from family members who are oceans away can prove difficult for students. However, in some ways, it is Third Culture Kids who need to forge these connections the most. Learning about who they are and where they are from is invaluable. At the same time, hearing about ancestors who may have also immigrated and assimilated into a new culture will no doubt be something they can relate to.

Without easy options, it’s up to parents to take the reins. Once his daughter is old enough, Goodman will share with her everything he knows about his own family’s history. “I’ll tell her about my great grandfather Charlie, who traveled to Canada from what was formerly Czechoslovakia all by himself when he was just 11 years old,” he says. “I’ll also tell her all about my late father, who I have great stories of from an old neighbor of ours.”

Lucky for me, my grandfather was a professor and a scholar, and had left behind a manuscript chronicling his own genealogy and life. His work is a treasure trove of events dating as far back as the Opium Wars and continuing on through the Japanese occupation of China to the birth of my father. It is a bit daunting to realize that all of these circumstances and decisions have ultimately led to me, but it is no less fascinating.

I’m happy to say that my father has chosen to carry on where his father left off. The past few months have for him been a period of reflection, and I daresay that the results have been surprisingly rewarding. After all, few can deny the joy of recalling fond memories once forgotten. For the most part, his stories remain shrouded in secrecy, and it would be an understatement to say that I cannot to wait to read them. From what little I’ve read, my father writes with a David Sedaris-like quality, skillfully injecting humor and sarcasm into the most unfortunate and random of events.

Of course not all of us have the time, patience or the desire to write out our life story. Still, that doesn’t mean we can't revisit the age-old past-time of storytelling. So this evening, this week, this month, schedule a time to sit down with your children and tell them a little bit about yourself. Give them a glimpse of who you were before you became a parent. And then after that, call up the rest of your family and ask them to do the same. Do this as often as you can—I guarantee your children will thank you for it later. And, if you ask me, it’s one of the best gifts you can give this season.