RecordTheirStory
Get started
A guide worth keeping

Life-story questions to ask your parents

Not "what year were you born?" — but the questions that actually open someone up. These are the 40 guided prompts we use in every book, across eight chapters of a life. Use them as your own interview guide, or let us turn the answers into a keepsake.

Turn the answers into a book

Chapter 1 Childhood & Early Years

  1. Where did you grow up, and what do you remember most vividly about it — the sights, the sounds, the smells?
  2. Did you have a secret hiding spot, or a place that felt like it was only yours?
  3. What's the most mischievous thing you did as a kid, and what happened when you got caught?
  4. Who did you spend your time with as a child, and what kind of fun or trouble did you get into together?
  5. What role did you tend to play in your family growing up — the responsible one, the peacemaker, the troublemaker?
  6. Paint a picture of a typical family dinner when you were young: who was at the table, what was cooking, what did people talk or argue about?

Chapter 2 Teen Years & Becoming Yourself

  1. What were you like as a teenager — and would your younger self be surprised by who you became?
  2. What music, movies, books, or trends defined your generation, and which ones still take you right back?
  3. Tell me about a friendship from your youth that mattered. What drew you together?
  4. What's a belief or opinion you held strongly back then that you've completely changed your mind about?
  5. When did you first start to feel like your own person, separate from your family?

Chapter 3 Family & Roots

  1. Where does our family come from, and is there a story behind how we ended up where we are?
  2. What do you know about your own parents and grandparents that you don't want our family to forget?
  3. Is there a family story, legend, or bit of history that's been passed down to you?
  4. Who in your family shaped you the most, and what did they teach you — on purpose or by example?
  5. Is there an object, recipe, or heirloom you'd want to pass on, and what's the story behind it?

Chapter 4 Love & Relationships

  1. Tell me about a great love in your life — how it began, and what it taught you.
  2. What's the hardest thing you've worked through with someone you loved, and how did you come out the other side?
  3. What does a strong relationship look like to you, and where did you learn it?
  4. Is there a friendship in your adult life that became as close as family?
  5. Who has loved you well, and how did it change you?

Chapter 5 Work, Purpose & Money

  1. What was your very first job — how much did it pay, and what did you spend that first paycheck on?
  2. What work are you proudest of, whether or not anyone ever paid you for it?
  3. Tell me about a time you failed badly at something, and what you did next.
  4. What did money mean in your household growing up, and how did that shape the way you handle it?
  5. What gave your days meaning, beyond making a living?

Chapter 6 Parenting & Family Life

  1. What surprised you most about becoming a parent?
  2. Tell me about a moment you felt truly proud of one of your kids.
  3. What did you hope to give your children that you didn't have yourself?
  4. What's a small, ordinary family ritual or tradition you treasure more than the big occasions?
  5. Looking back, is there something about how you raised your family you'd do differently — and something you'd do exactly the same?

Chapter 7 Beliefs, Meaning & Hard Times

  1. What do you believe about faith, God, or the meaning of life — and has that changed over the years?
  2. What major world event do you remember living through, and where were you when you heard the news?
  3. Who have you lost that you still carry with you, and what do you most want remembered about them?
  4. How do you get through your hardest seasons — grief, fear, uncertainty?
  5. Is there something you've forgiven, or something you hope to be forgiven for?

Chapter 8 Legacy & Looking Back

  1. What's the best advice anyone ever gave you, and did you actually take it?
  2. What do you most hope your children and grandchildren remember about you long after you're gone?
  3. Is there something you've never said out loud that you want your family to know?
  4. Finish this sentence: "My life was about…"

Tip: don't rush. The best answers come when there's no pressure to "perform." One question at a time, on a quiet afternoon, is exactly how these stories want to be told.

Don't just ask. Keep the answers.

We turn these questions into video your parent records at their own pace — and a printed book where every page plays their voice.

Get started See how it works