52 life story questions to ask a parent or grandparent

One question a week for a year. Free to use any way you like: at the kitchen table, on a phone call, or with a voice recorder. Print this page and keep it by the phone.

Before you start

There are no wrong answers. Skip any question. Talk as long or as short as you like.
Talking is easier than writing for most people. Tell it like you'd tell a grandchild at the kitchen table.
You never need to include your full date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, or passwords. Those don't belong in a life story, and scammers look for them.
Some memories (a first pet, an old street, a parent's family name) are also common bank security questions. It's fine to share the memory without the name, or to keep the finished book private to family.
Your words stay your words. If a family member helps write it down, ask them to keep your way of saying things.

Chapter 1: Where you come from

What do you know about where your family came from before you were born?
Who told you those stories? Is there a family legend people still repeat?
Tell me about your mother. What was she like?
What did she do all day? What did she say that you still hear in your head?
Tell me about your father. What was he like?
What did he care about most? What do you wish you'd asked him?
Who else was part of the household when you were little?
Brothers, sisters, grandparents, boarders, a favorite aunt?
What did your family do together when there was free time?
Sunday dinners, radio shows, church, card games, visiting relatives?

Chapter 2: Childhood

What is the very first thing you remember?
How old were you? What can you still see, hear or smell?
Describe the home you grew up in, room by room.
Where did you sleep? Where did everyone gather? What was outside the window?
What games did you play, and who did you play with?
Were you the leader, the follower, or off on your own?
Tell me about a pet or animal you loved.
What made it special? Any funny or sad story about it? (You don't need to use its name.)
What were the holidays like when you were a child?
Which one was your favorite, and what food was always on the table?
When did you get in trouble as a kid, and what happened?
Did you deserve it? Did anyone find out what really happened?

Chapter 3: School days

What was school like for you?
How did you get there? How big was it? What did it smell like?
Which teacher do you remember most, and why?
What did they say or do that stayed with you?
What were you good at, and what did you struggle with?
Did anyone notice or help?
Who were your closest friends growing up?
What did you do together? Are you still in touch with any of them?
What was your first job or way of earning money as a kid?
What did you buy with it?

Chapter 4: Growing up and heading out

What did you want to be when you grew up?
What happened to that dream?
What music, dances, clothes or slang were popular when you were a teenager?
What did your parents think of it?
When did you first feel like a grown-up?
Was it a moment, a job, a move, a loss?
Tell me about leaving home for the first time.
Where did you go? Who drove you, or did you go alone? How did it feel?
Did you serve in the military, go to college, learn a trade, or go straight to work?
What was a typical day like? Who did you meet there?

Chapter 5: Work and making a living

What kinds of work have you done in your life?
Which job did you like most? Which one taught you the most?
Describe a normal day at the job you spent the most time in.
What time did you start? What did you carry? Who did you see?
Who was the best boss or coworker you ever had?
And the hardest one to work with?
What are you proudest of from your working life?
Did anyone ever thank you for it?
How did money work in your family?
Were there lean years? Good years? What did that teach you?

Chapter 6: Love and partnership

How did you meet the people who mattered most in your love life?
What did you notice first?
Tell me about a memorable date or courtship story.
Where did you go? What did it cost back then?
If you married, tell me about the wedding day.
Who was there? What went wrong? What went right?
What made your closest relationship work, and what was hard about it?
What advice would you give a young couple today?
What is something about love that you understand now but didn't at twenty?

Chapter 7: Home and family life

If you had children, tell me about the day each one was born or came into your life.
Where were you? Who called whom?
What was a regular weeknight like in your home when the house was busiest?
Who cooked? What was on TV? What were the rules?
What family traditions did you keep or start?
Which ones do you hope continue?
What recipes or dishes is your family known for?
Who taught you? Will you share how to make one?
What is a favorite story about one of your children or grandchildren?
Have you ever told them?

Chapter 8: History you lived through

What big news events do you remember exactly where you were for?
Who were you with? What did people say?
How has your town or neighborhood changed in your lifetime?
What's gone that you miss? What's better now?
What new invention changed your daily life the most?
Do you remember the first time you used it?
What do young people today not understand about how things used to be?
What do you think they have right?

Chapter 9: Places and adventures

What is the best trip you ever took?
Who went? What happened that you didn't plan?
Tell me about every place you have called home.
Which one felt most like home, and why?
What is the most daring or surprising thing you have ever done?
Would you do it again?

Chapter 10: What you believe

What role has faith, spirit or a sense of purpose played in your life?
Has it changed over the years?
Who has influenced you the most, and how?
Did you ever tell them?
What are the values you tried hardest to live by?
Where did you learn them?
What is the best advice you were ever given?
Did you follow it?

Chapter 11: Hard times and getting through

What was one of the hardest times in your life, and how did you get through it?
Share only what you are comfortable sharing. Who helped you?
Tell me about someone you lost and what you remember most about them.
What would you say to them today?
What mistake taught you the most?
What would you tell your younger self?

Chapter 12: Looking back, looking ahead

What are you most grateful for?
What small, everyday things bring you joy now?
What do you want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to know about you?
If they read just one page of this book, what should it say?

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