Is it a Root or a Branch?

Have you ever noticed that when you look at a picture of a family tree, the main person (you) tends to be the center, or trunk, of the tree and then various family members branch off from them.  So while we (that's the generic we, not the Royal We) tend to talk about our family's roots, family is not usually depicted that way visually.  So does it really matter if we talk about branches or roots?

Technically, I guess, our roots would be our ancestors - those who contributed a little bit of this and a little bit of that into our gene pool, ultimately making us the tree person we are today - while our branches would be those who "sprout" from us, such as our children, who will become their own trees people, in turn.  In reality, though, it's much easier to talk about this branch of the family tree or that branch, rather than this root or that root.  So there you have it.  I'm searching for branches.