Talking about ancestors can be complicated and potentially painful for some children. Some may have been adopted into their families. In essence, they belong to two family lines, and may lack information about their birth ancestors. Some may belong to an African American family line that was fractured during the era of U.S. slavery. Children whose families came to the U.S. as immigrants or refugees may be unable to trace their family ancestry very far.

How far back does your family ancestry go? How might you feel differently about this topic if your ability to trace your ancestry were different? Look over all of the activities for this session through the lens of someone with few or no biological ancestors.

Lacking information about a long family history is not necessarily bad: Unencumbered by ancestors, one gains the freedom to choose one's own roots. Think about advantages to both situations. See if you can get comfortable with a notion of ancestry that transcends biological ties. Spend a few minutes before the session sharing your reflections with your co-leader.