This actually sounds like the sort of thing I might want to ask them about before they died. But neither of my parents write journals, so it isn’t a problem for me.
My parents are the last two people on earth I would expect to keep a journal - they’re smart people but I don’t think they spend a lot of time reflecting on themselves or their lives; they both live very impulsively and for the moment. But if they did have journals, there’s no way I could resist reading them.
My family isn’t the kind to keep journals, but one of my father’s duties (along with his siblings) and of mine as his child has been to read old letters and papers. So yes, if I found a journal I’d read it.
Heck, one of the things we got from Dad’s Mom was the manuscript of a novel written by Dad’s Dad’s Dad - and apparently people thought I could magic it into a book… I can barely read it!
This sums up my thoughts on the matter. I’ve also started a journal for my kids. I’m trying to decide if I’ll start one for each one of them (once this one is born), but I suspect I’ll stick with the one - too hard to keep up one for each of them and one for me, plus blogs.
But, yeah, I’d read a family member’s journal post-humously. I also hope people read my journals after I pass away.
What an amazingly thoughtful and selfless thing to do! I do not have children [yet] and this would be something I would love to do for my children when and if I do happen to have them. Hope so. They can read my journals, to get a better picture of me, but writing one for them has a certain allure that I really resonate with. Thanks Wordman 