32 questions
Family & Parents
The people they came from — parents, grandparents, siblings, and the stories that hold a family together.
Every family carries a handful of stories that get told again and again — and a great many more that are only one conversation away from being lost. These questions about family, parents, and grandparents help you capture the people your children and grandchildren will never meet: who they were, where they came from, and what they passed down.
Start with the relative everyone still talks about, or with a simple “how did your parents meet?” One answer tends to lead to the next. Asked by voice, these become more than facts on a page — they're the family's history in the teller's own words, kept for the generations who come after.
Tell me about your mother — what was she like as a person?
Tell me about your father — what kind of man was he?
Describe a sound or saying of your mother's that you can still hear in your head.
What is something your father taught you to do with his own hands?
What did your mother's kitchen smell like, and what was she usually making?
Tell me about a time one of your parents stood up for you.
What did your parents do for a living, and what do you remember about watching them work?
How did your mother and father meet? Tell me the story as you heard it.
Picture your mother getting ready to go out somewhere special. Describe what you see.
Tell me about a tradition your family kept that came from your parents.
Tell me about one of your grandparents and a day you spent with them.
What story did your grandparents tell again and again about the old days?
Is there a dish a parent or grandparent made that no one has been able to make the same since? Tell me about it.
What did your father do when he was happy or proud? Tell me about a time you saw it.
Tell me about a time your mother surprised you with how strong or how soft she could be.
Describe the home your parents made for you — the room you remember best.
Tell me about a relative from before your time who became a legend in your family.
Tell me about a piece of advice from a parent that you didn't understand until later.
When did you first start to see your parents as people, not just as your parents? Tell me about that moment.
What did your parents do to make ends meet when money was tight? Tell me about a time you remember.
If you'd like to share — what did your parents go through before you were born that shaped who they were?
What music or songs did your parents fill the house with?
Was there an aunt, uncle, or older relative who felt like a second parent to you? Tell me about them.
Describe your father's or grandfather's hands and the work they did.
What name or word did your family call you growing up, and where did it come from?
Tell me about the last good, ordinary day you remember spending with a parent.
What did your parents most disagree about, and how did they make up?
Tell me about a skill or trade that has been passed down in your family.
Is there a family heirloom or keepsake you treasure? Tell me how it came to you and whose hands it passed through.
Was there a song your mother or father used to sing? If you can, sing a little of it for me now.
Are there sayings or inside jokes your family still uses? Tell me about one and where it came from.
If you'd like to share it, what's a surprising story or secret from your family's past?
Want these answered in their own voice — and kept forever?
Storykept guides your family through these questions by voice. No writing, no pressure. Free to start.