The following is from Cary Tennis' column on Salon.com:
Why would healthy adults who are barely in their 60s become so attached to the past?
My parents are obsessed with dead people.
No, not ghosts. Genealogy.
They are baby boomers and have been tracing their lineage for several years now. They are obsessed with their new hobby. This is strange because they are not the type to have obsessive interests. Every time I see them, they tell me about Great Great Uncle Jonas who died of smallpox or Great Great Grandma Enid who campaigned for the mayoral candidate of New York. At our last get-together, my mom talked so much I wondered if she was manic (although she has never had a mood disorder). I have never, at any point in my life, seen her this enthusiastic, even about anything that had to do with her children. This sounds like an exaggeration. Trust me, it's not.
You can read the full article at http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/tenn/2006/09/27/genealogy/
