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The Best Questions To Capture Your Family’s Memories

If you’re inclined to start capturing your family’s history by creating a memoir of your parents or grandparents, we have a list of questions that could be useful for the process. In this post, you can see some easy steps to create this memoir using LifeTales. Use these questions as a guideline. And, of course, it’s helpful to add other personalized questions about stories you vaguely know or have heard before.  

About the person

Early years:

  • What is your first memory ever?
  • What is your happiest childhood memory? Your saddest?
  • What is your favorite children's story?
  • Do you have sisters or brothers? How did you get along? What were they like?
  • Do you have a special song that was sung to you by either of your parents? What was it? Can you sing it?
  • How is life different today compared to when you were a child?
  • Where did you go to school?
  • Where did you grow up?
  • Was learning to read and write a struggle for you?
  • What's something you were afraid of as a child?
  • When you were a child, how did you imagine your adult self?

Teen and young adult years

  • Did you go to High School?
  • What were you like in high school?
  • Was school easy or hard? What subjects did you like the most? Which did you dislike?
  • Did you participate in any extra-curricular activities? Which ones?
  • Can you remember your first kiss? With whom? Describe what it was like
  • Who was your first love? Your first heartbreak?
  • What is your best memory as a teenager with your friends?
  • Was there a fantastic party you went to when you were a teenager?
  • Was graduating from high school a big event? Did you have a prom? What was it like?
  • Did you go to College/University?
  • Did you work while you were in college/university?
  • What were some of your summer or part-time jobs?
  • Did you have a Professor that was important to you?
  • Who were your friends? Are you still friends?
  • What do you wish you would have learned more about in school?

Work life

  • What was your first full-time job? When?
  • How much was your first paycheck and what did you do with it?
  • Does/Did your career make you happy?
  • What would you do differently if you could?

About the family

General

  • Who is the funniest person in your family?
  • What about having kids didn't turn out the way you expected it?
  • Did you have any pets? Describe it/them
  • What is/was the best thing about your parents? What is/was the worst?
  • Who is someone you've lost? What are some of your memories about that person?

About your kids

  • How did you feel when each child was born?
  • What was the story of their birth? Easy? Hard? Where?
  • Was there a song you used to sing to your kids? Perhaps sing it again now?
  • Can you think of a signature event that wonderfully demonstrates or describes the personality of your child?
  • Did you sing a song to your children when they were young? What was it? Perhaps sing it now?

About your parents/grandparents

  • Where are your parents from? Your grandparents?
  • What do you know of your family history?
  • Are there any special stories about your parents/grandparents you’d like to share with your descendants?

About your spouse

  • How did you meet?
  • Describe your engagement story
  • Describe your wedding
  • What do you admire most?

About Today

  • What is great about your life right now?
  • What would you like to improve/change?
  • What are your dreams for 5 years from now? 10 years? Longer?
  • What will your retirement be like (if not already retired)?
  • What are some of your favorite things? Food? Wine? Hobbies?
  • What are some of the memories you associate with a song? A smell? A Season?

General

  • What's your favorite trip ever?
  • Describe one of your most embarrassing moments
  • What event in your childhood has had significant impact on your life?
  • Which one of your parents are you most like?
  • What's something that helped to shape your outlook on life?
  • Have you ever felt brokenhearted?
  • Describe an event or time when you laughed really hard