As some of you younger people are dreading going to your grandparents’ house because you want to be with your friends, let me tell you this and believe it or not. There will come a day when you would give anything to be sitting at that table eating and listening to all the corny stories they are telling.
You want to run with those friends instead of sitting with the best friends you will ever have. The ones who will always have your back. One day you won't have that table to sit at, and you will certainly miss it. So, if you still have that family, suck it up and do it because as you get older, that will be the most treasured days of your life!
Here are some questions to ask your grandparents and other family members. Write their answers down because you will forget them.
50 Questions to ask your grandparents (or your parents)
1. What is your full name?
2. Does your name have a special meaning?
3. Who named you? Why did they name you that? Were you named after a person? Middle name?
4. What was your maiden name?
5. Did your name change over time? Why? (Did it change when you arrived in this country?)
6. What is your ethnicity (or if a mix, name all of them)?
7. Tell me all you know about your ancestors
8. Did you build an ancestry/ family tree? Can I copy it?
9. Did you have a nickname growing up?
10. When were you born? Full date if known (day, moth, year)
11. Where were you born? (town and state and country)
12. Where did you grow up? (and which towns did you move around to)
13. What kind of house did you grow up in? What was the neighborhood like?
14. What education did you and your parents attain?
15. Were your parents/grandparents well off or poor?
16. What jobs did your parents have?
17. What is the earliest memory that you have?
18. What did you do for fun as a child?
19. Did you have a favorite toy?
20. What clothes were in fashion when you were young? [more questions below the photo]
21. What was your first pet?
22. How did you spend your time playing with friends?
23. Did you play sports in school?
24. What was your favorite school subject?
25. What did you want to be when you grew up?
26. Did you get into trouble when you were young? What did you do?
27. What were your favorite foods?
28. What did you eat on holidays or birthdays? Do you have old recipes for these foods?
29. Which holidays did you celebrate? How did you celebrate it?
30. Did your parents celebrate your birthday? How? What gifts do you recall?
31. Did you get an allowance? How much was It and what did you spend it on?
32. What were your first few jobs? What did you do, and do you remember how much you earned?
33. What music did you grow up listening to?
34. What was your first car?
35. What Is the biggest lesson you learned from your parents?
36. What Is different about growing up today than when you were a child?
37. What was the best advice you received from your family?
38. Did you ever win an award that you were proud of, and what was it for?
39. What was the best advice you ever received from anyone?
40. What’s your favorite memory of your dad? Your mom?
41. What’s the best thing your dad/and mom taught you?
42. What’s your favorite motto, quotation or saying? Where did you hear it?
43. How did you meet your spouse?
44. What was your toughest lesson learned in life?
45. What traits do you have that your parents also had?
46. Which side of the family do you most resemble?
47. Have you written any of these old stories down?
48. Can you write me some recipes in your handwriting?
49. Do you have old photos that I can snap a pic of with my camera?
50. What have I not asked that you want to talk about?