Question guides
The hardest part of asking a parent about their life is knowing what to say next. These guides are sorted by who you are talking to and what you want to hear about. Each one has 42 specific questions, and each question comes with a follow-up for when the first answer is short, which it usually is. Use them at the kitchen table, on a long drive or over the phone. You won't need all of them. Pick a few that make you curious, ask one at a time, and let the conversation wander. Every guide comes with a printable cheat sheet. If you would rather not do the asking, our AI interviewer can do it for you.
- Questions to ask your mom: Most moms answer "How was your childhood?" with "Fine." The question is too big, and she has spent years being the one who asks about everybody else.
- Questions to ask your parents: You can know your parents your entire life and still not know how they met, why they moved, or what they were afraid of when you were small.
- Questions to ask your grandparents: Your grandparents remember a world that is hard to picture now: what things cost, how people got around, who lived next door and what happened to them.
- Questions to ask your dad: A lot of dads will tell you exactly how to change a tire and nothing about the year they almost lost the house.
- Questions about childhood: Childhood memories are stored by place, smell and routine rather than by date.
- Memoir prompts, answered out loud: Plenty of people have a memoir in them and no wish to write one.
- Conversation starters for families: Families can eat dinner together for years and mostly discuss the schedule.
New to this? Start with how to interview a parent about their life.