Parents begin talking to their children about the past before kids are even able to contribute much on their own. Parents will recount stories with children as young as 18 months of age. With younger children, parents provide most of the content, but throughout the preschool years children begin to participate more and more, until they are able to contribute as much as the parent. Puff puff ah. Fivush believes talking about past events with children helps to create a shared history, which is important in developing family relationships and bonds.
Children also learn to conceptualize themselves within the context of the family.
Of special interest to her is the emotional content. Emotions are the way to link ourselves to our experiences and to other people. One of her most intriguing findings is gender differences in narratives. Mothers also talk more about emotions than do fathers. Finally, mothers and fathers include more emotional information, especially sadness, when they are speaking to a daughter.