Connecting Friends, Families, and Generations

As detailed in the post Using Stories to Stay in Touch, this page has been designed to centralize all of the conversation starters.  When new, thought-provoking questions are sent out through social media and email, they will also be added to this page to provide an ever-growing list which can always be accessed.  The questions will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  If you would also like to be added to the email list just send me a message at sarah@sezenyourlife.com.

If you would like to share your stories, feel free to email those as well.  I hope this can be a fun resource to open up communication in your lives and get the opportunity to connect in deeper ways.

For those of you who wish to compile your answers into a memoir, it is best to start with the basics.  So, our first questions are for gathering general information and we’ll move on to the more entertaining ones.

General Information

Name:

Birth information:

• Date
• Day of the week
• Time
• Weight
• Length
• Place (hospital or residence)
• Town
• County
• State/Country

Parents:

Mother’s Name:

• Birth Date
• Day of the week
• Time
• Weight
• Length
• Place (hospital or residence)
• Town
• County
• State/Country

Father’s Name:

• Birth Date
• Day of the week
• Time
• Weight
• Length
• Place (hospital or residence)
• Town
• County
• State/Country

Parents’ Marriage Place and Date:

Growing Up

Do/did you have any siblings? If so, what are their names and birth dates?

What was your birth order?

Were you named after anyone?

Who did they say you looked like?

Did you have any pets? If so what kinds and what were their names?

How old were your parents when you were born?

What did your parents do for a living?

What kind of house did you grow up in? Did you have your own room?

How often did you move?

Did you have many visitors and overnight guests?

What was your favorite toy? Where/when did you receive it?

Who was your best friend?

Describe what school was like? Did you enjoy it?

What was your favorite and least favorite subjects?

Did you get good grades?

What did you do at recess?

What hobbies did you have?

Did you have any nicknames?

Were you ever teased in school or by siblings?

Did you attend church or any religious activities?

Did you spend a lot of time outdoors? If so what did you enjoy doing?

Describe the best birthday you ever had. 

What is the best present you ever received?

What was your favorite meal?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

How much (if anything) did the tooth fairy leave you for a tooth?

What was your favorite story or book?

What kind of transportation did you have?

Did you ever take road trips or summer vacations?

How close were your nearest family members?

What kind of chores did you have to do?

How old were you when you got an allowance, how much was it?

When you were given or earned money, what did you spend it on?

What could you buy for a quarter?

How much were milk, gas, bread, and housing?

Did you buy all of your food or did you grow/raise any?

Did you buy all of your clothes or did you make some? Did you get lots of hand-me-downs?

What was your favorite outfit?

What was the most trouble you ever got into and what was the consequence?

How did your parents normally punish you?

Did you ever run away from home? If so how old were you and how far did you get?

Were you involved in sports? Did you play at home with your family?

Did you get sick very often? Did you ever have to go to the hospital?

Do/did you have any scars, broken bones, or stitches?

Did you celebrate New Year’s Eve and if so how?

How do you remember the winters growing up? Was there a lot of snow and cold weather, did you go sledding or ice skating?

In school, did you have Valentine’s Day parties? Did you make cards and boxes?

Who was your first Valentine? Do you remember any special dates or activities?

Did you do anything to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

What was your favorite part of Spring?

What did you do for Easter? Did you always get new dress clothes?

Did you take flowers to the cemetery for Memorial Day?

What was your favorite part of summer?

Did you have fireworks for Independence Day? Describe your celebrations (parades, picnics, etc.).

Did you have a place to go swimming? Did you play in the sprinkler?

Were you excited to start school

What are some of your favorite autumn memories (harvest time, pumpkin patches, seasonal food, etc.)?

Did you go trick-or-treating? What was your favorite costume?

What was/is your favorite candy?

What candy did you try to get rid of by trading with your siblings?

How did you celebrate Thanksgiving and what was your favorite part?

Did/do you participate in Black Friday sales?

Did you decorate the house for Christmas? If so, when did you start and what did it entail?

Did you visit and/or write letters to Santa Claus?

What were your family Christmas traditions?

What is/was your favorite Christmas music?

What is/was your favorite Christmas show?

Did your hometown have any other special celebrations, like Oregon Trail Days in Gering, Nebraska?

Did you have family reunions?

Did you work during high school?

Did you have a car? If so did you purchase it or did you get it from your parents?

How old were you when you learned to drive? What did you learn to drive in (tractor, type of car, etc)

Who was your favorite teacher and how did they influence you?

Did you ever skip school? If so what did you do?

What activities were you a part of?

Did you go to school dances? Did you attend your PROM?

What was your favorite music group?

How did you listen to music (records, tapes, CDs, MP3)?

What was your favorite TV show?

Did you ever play practical jokes in high school or college?

Were there any major historical events or natural disasters you remember?

Did you go to the movies very often? What was your favorite film?

What was your favorite book?

What time did you have to be home when hanging out with friends or out on dates?

Did you ever get any piercings or tattoos?

Did you have a cell phone or just home phone? What restrictions did your parents enforce for talking and texting?

Did you have a computer in your house?

Looking back, what advice would you give your high school self.

Adult Life 

What was your first real job after high school/college?

Describe your first place after leaving home.

Marriage

When and where did you meet your spouse? How old were you?

Did your parents approve of him/her right away?

Where did you go on your first date?

Was it love at first sight?

When did you know he/she was “the one”?

What was your favorite place to go for dates?

What attracted you to them the most?

How long did you date before you were engaged?

Describe the proposal.  Was there more than one before you/she said yes?

How long were you engaged before you got married?

When and where did you get married?

Who was your Best Man, Maid of Honor, and Officiant?

Describe the wedding and reception.

Did all of your friends and family attend?

What was your favorite part?

Did anything go wrong?

Is there anything you would change?

Did you go on a honeymoon?

What do you remember most about your first year as a married couple?

What advice would you give newlyweds?

Where did you first live as a married couple?

Parenthood

How long were you married before you had children?

What were they like as babies?

Did they take after Mom or Dad?

What is your favorite memory of them as children?

Where they mischievous or very well behaved?

What did they do that made you proud?

What did you like doing the most with your children?

What advice would you give new parents?

What was your favorite part of becoming a parent?

Current Day 

What is your favorite season?

What do you miss the most?

What is your favorite flower or plant?

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Why?

What is your favorite vehicle?

What is your favorite memory from childhood?

What was your first job and what ended up being your career?

What would you do for a career if money was no a factor?

What is the longest you’ve ever been at one job?

Describe a perfect weekend.

If you could have any animal for a pet, what would you choose? What would you name him/her?

What is your favorite place to go out to eat?

If you could go back to any time in history, what would you pick?

Who are you  most excited to meet/see in Heaven?

What was one of the hardest days of your life?

What do you wish had stayed the same?

What fads do you remember the most?

What fads make you thankful that they are over?

Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t?

Who influenced your life the most? When was the last time you spoke with him/her?

What events during your life have changed you the most?

What is your favorite memory so far?

Who do you admire the most and why?

Where would you like to visit and why?

What was your favorite place when growing up?

What period of life was the most enjoyable for you? Which one do you not like to think about?

What is your favorite book, movie, music, and color?

Using Stories to Stay in Touch