Childhood

What was your childhood home like? How long did you live there?
Where did you grow up?
What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you actually become that?
What was your favorite childhood meal?
Who was your best friend growing up? Tell me about your friendship and what made it special.
Did you play sports as a child? If so, what did you play?
How did you meet your childhood friends?
What type of music did you listen to when you were growing up?
Have you always lived close to your family, or did you move far away?
Who were you closest to in your family growing up?
Are you named after a family member? If not, where did your name come from, or does it have any special meaning?
What do you remember about your grandparents?
Did both of your parents work? If so, what did they do?

Teenage/ Young Adult Years

What extracurricular activities did you participate in during high school?
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about being a young adult?
What was the most important lesson your parents taught you?
What was your favorite thing about your 20s?
Did you experience any hardships while you were growing up?
If so, how do you feel like these hardships impacted your future?
Is there anything you wish you would have done differently about your college experience?
Did your career goals change during your young adulthood? If so, what changed?

What was a staple holiday meal in your family?
What holidays did your family celebrate?
What are your favorite holiday traditions?
How often does your family get together?
What did you enjoy the most about family gatherings?
How did your family’s culture/traditions change throughout your life?
Did your family ever stop doing any family traditions?
What family traditions did you continue with your own children?
Were there any family trips or vacations that became a tradition for your family?

Tell us the story of how you met
What was your first impression of him/her?
Tell us about your first date
Tell us about your first kiss (but keep it PG)
Tell us about when you met one another’s families. What was that experience like?
Dad, did you ask Grandpa if you could marry mom? If yes, how did he respond? If not, why didn’t you ask him?
Mom, tell us about how dad proposed

Describe your wedding day
How long was your engagement?
How old were you when you got married?
Tell us about newlywed life before kids. What was that like?
Who were some of the couples you looked up to early on? What did you hope to emulate from them?
What were some of the big values and hopes you knew you were aligned on going into marriage?
What were some of the “big surprises” or “misunderstandings” about one another early on?
What did you fight/disagree about the most and how do you feel about those things looking back now?
What’s the best piece of marriage advice that you have received?
When was a time your spouse made you feel the most loved?
How did you handle conflict in your marriage?

Tell us about your first child’s birth and what it was like for you being new parents.
What were some of the happiest moments you remember as parents?
What were some of your greatest fears as early parents and how do you feel about those things looking back now?
What were some of the biggest challenges in the season of parenting young children?
How old were you when you had your first child?

What do you wish you could have a “do-over” on when we were growing up?
What are you most proud of as parents?
What was the biggest lesson you learned as a parent?
What values were guiding you as you made parenting and life decisions?
What values do you wish you would’ve put more emphasis on, that you’d like for us to remember moving forward?
Who were you leaning on to influence your children outside of yourselves?
What were some rules, routines or traditions you were intentionally very strict about? Why?
What is one tip you would give new parents about raising children?
Did you have to make any sacrifices as a parent? If so, what were they?
How did you handle the stress of being a parent?
What was the most rewarding part of parenting?
How did you encourage your children to pursue their interests?
How did you handle the transition when your kids grew older?

Did you go to college or get additional training after high school? Where did you go? What did you study?
How did you decide on your career?
What was your first job? How old were you?
How do you think your work impacted our family life?
What was difficult in balancing life and work as your children were young teenagers?
Did you have a strong sense of pride in your work itself? Were you working mostly as a means to an end of providing financially?
What would you do differently regarding career & work if you had a do-over?
What are you proud of accomplishing in your work up to this point?
Did you learn any valuable lessons from your first job?

What is your favorite thing about being a grandparent?
What do you hope your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know about you?
What values do you hope your children will instill in your grandchildren and great-grandchildren?
What are some of your greatest fears for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren?
What advice would you give your children as they raise children of our own?
What advice would you give your children in order to have long happy marriages?
What advice would you give your children to remain happy despite life’s hardships and struggles?
What do you hope your children and grandchildren do with their lives?
How is being a grandparent different than being a parent?

Did you attend church growing up?
Would you consider yourself religious or spiritual?
What do you value most in life?
What values from your parents did you pass down to your children?
Were there any values you disagreed with your family on?
How did you approach making ethical decisions in your professional life?
Are there any cultural beliefs that influence how you live today?
Was there ever a time when you had to stand up for something you believed in, even if it was controversial?
How have your values changed since you were a child?
Did you ever experience a life-changing moment? If so, what was it?
How did you maintain a sense of community throughout your life?
How did your values affect your work and career choices?