ReZoom

Obviously, you won't want to ask your parents all of these questions in any one interview, or for any one video presentation. But this array gives you plenty of options to tailor your interview to suit your style, your parents' interests or the type of family history you're most interested in documenting. Compiled by documentary filmmaker and ReZoom's Executive Editor Dolly Carlisle, this list will give you plenty of fodder for a lively and memorable video.

See our story Lights, Camera, History! for more on the benefits and techniques involved with preserving your family history.

FAMILY

1. If your ancestors emigrated from another country, from where did they come? When? How did they come? Where did they settle and why? What you do remember about your oldest relative(s) you knew personally?
2. When and where were your mother's mother and father born? Describe the kind of persons they were.
3. If you have inherited any of the characteristics of your mother's parents, describe what they are and how you feel about them. What do you know about their values, philosophies and religious beliefs? What kind of work did your mother's parents do? What else would you like to say about them?
4. When and where were your father's mother and father born? What was his mother's maiden name? Describe the kind of persons they were.
5. If you have inherited any of the characteristics of your father's parents, describe what they are and how you feel about them. What do you know about their values, philosophy, and religious beliefs? What kind of work did your father's parents do? What else would you like to say about them?
6. Has your mother shared any stories she knew about her parents' childhood?
7. What memories do you have of your mother?
8. Which of your mother's physical and personality characteristics did you inherit?
9. What are the most important things you learned from your mother? What else do you remember about her?
10. Has your father shared any stories he knew about his parents' childhood?
11. What memories do you have of your father?
12. Which of your father's physical and personality characteristics did you inherit?
13. What are the most important things you learned from your father? What else do you remember about him?
14. How did your mother and father meet? How long did they know each other before getting married? What do you know about their courtship and wedding? What was their relationship like?
15. Does your family have any family myths or traditions?

CHILDHOOD

1. When and where were you born? Was there anything unusual about your birth?
2. Do you know why you were given your name? Does it have special meaning?
3. What was your birth order among your siblings?
4. What stories have you been told about yourself as a child?
5. What are your earliest memories of your childhood?
6. Do you consider your childhood happy? Why or why not?
7. What memories do you have about getting to and from school?
8. Tell about the first motion picture you ever saw.What were your favorite radio and television shows?
9. Did you have any pets? What were they? What were their names? How important were they in your life?
10. Did you ever have a special place where you went to be alone?
11. What did you daydream about?
12. What were your favorite things to eat? Are there any smells, flavors, sounds, songs, etc. that bring back memories of your childhood?
13. What birthday do you remember most? Why?
14. Were you ever seriously ill when you were little?
15. Did anything unusual or strange happen to you during your childhood?

TEEN YEARS

1. Describe yourself as a teenager. What things were important to you?
2. What was your favorite subject? Why?
3. Describe any part-time jobs you had in your teen years.
4. Tell about your first date and first kiss.
5. What were some of the "fads" when you were a teenager? Describe the hair and clothing styles that were popular. What slang expressions were popular during your teen years?
6. What did you like best and least about your appearance as a teenager?
7. What kind of music was popular? What was your favorite song? Who was your favorite musical performer or band?
8. Describe your relationship with your parents. Where you able to communicate freely with them?
9. Who was leader of your country and what do you remember most about that person?
10. What was the most historic event that took place during "your generation" and how did it affect you?

HIGHER EDUCATION

1. Where did you go to college and why?
2. Describe where you lived while at college.
3. Tell about your best friends in college.
4. Where did you do and what did you do to socialize?
5. What were the fads and slang when you were in college? What was your favorite music and who were your favorite music artists?
6. Tell about your happiest memory from college.
7. Tell about your most painful memory.
8. Tell about an amusing event that happened during college.
9. What did you enjoy most about college?
10. Of which of your college accomplishments are you the proudest?

MILITARY

1. Did you enlist in the military or were you drafted? In what branch did you serve?
2. Describe your feelings and experiences about being apart from loved ones?
3. Were you ever in combat? Tell about some experiences.
4. Were you involved in or did you see anyone engage in tremendous acts of courage?
5. Did you win any medals or decorations? For what?
6. What was it like for you when the war ended?
7. Altogether, how long did you serve? What was your highest rank?
8. Tell about your best friends in the service.
9. What are the most painful memories about military life?
10. What did you enjoy most about military life?

INDEPENDENCE/WORK/CAREER

1. What did you do after high school, college or military service?
2. In what part of the country did you live when you first left home? Why?
3. Describe what you were like when first "on your own."
4. What were your dreams and goals during your first years of independence?
5. How greatly did your first job influence the development of your later career?
6. Did you ever change your line of work or career? How many times? Why?
7. Tell about the high points in your career.
8. Did you work primarily out of economic necessity or for personal fulfillment?
9. What has been your motivation to achieve or succeed in your career?
10. If you could have changed careers to something completely different, what would it have been and why?

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

1. How did you meet your future spouse? What was it about your future spouse that most attracted you?
2. What was your first date with your future spouse like?
3. What was your courtship like and how long did you know each other before you got married?
4. Give the date of your wedding and tell about the ceremony, the place, attire, decorations, etc. How old were you and your spouse?
5. What pet names did you and your spouse have for each other? How did you select them?
6. How did you and your significant other resolve conflict?
7. If you stayed together, what is the "glue" that kept you together?
8. What have you learned about your spouse over the years that you did not know when you married her or him?
9. If your marriage ended, tell about how it happened. How did you cope with it? How did it feel being single again?
10. If you married again, what was different about your subsequent marriage(s)?

PARENTHOOD

1. When and why did you make the decision to have children? How many did you "plan" to have?
2. Give the names of all your children, their birth dates and any circumstances that made their birth unusual. How did you choose each child's name?
3. Tell a story about each child's early years.
4. Did you have any special pet names or nicknames you used for your children? Why where they chosen?
5. Describe a typical family activity or outing. Describe a typical family meal time.
6. Did you and your spouse have any major differences about how to raise your children?
7. What is the worst part of being a parent?
8. What is the best part of being a parent?

CENTER OF LIFE

1. What were the most important things you had learned about life by the time you reached 40?
2. Between the ages of 40 and 65, what was the best year for you and why? The worst year and why?
3. How was your relationship with your children during these years?
4. What was your relationship with your parents like during these years?
5. Did your relationship with your significant other change in the middle years?
6. Did your life take a new direction?
7. What is the most significant realization you came to during this time?
8. What do you believe to be your most important accomplishments during this time?

LATER IN LIFE

1. Have your "senior" years been like you always thought they would be? If not, how have they been different?
2. Tell about how and when you decided to retire, if you decided to retire?
3. Have you taken up any new hobbies or interests?
4. Have you remained active?
5. What misconceptions do people have about aging?
6. Do you feel you have attained a certain wisdom with age?
7. Have you become emotionally stronger with age? Explain.
8. Are any of your looks, personality traits, or talents evident in your grandchildren?

ETHNIC HERITAGE

1. What is your ethnic origin?
2. What does your ethnic and cultural background mean to you?
3. Is a certain religious denomination associated with your ethnic group? Describe a typical worship service?
4. Did you have a ceremonial rite of passage?
5. What makes you proudest to be a member of your ethnic group?
6. Which famous members of your ethnic group do you admire the most? Why?
7. Have you ever been to your ancestral land? Tell about your trip and what it meant to you.
8. When you were growing up, what were the things your parents told you about people outside your ethnic group?
9. What do you believe causes prejudice? What could be done to get rid of it?
10. How have attitudes and the quality of life changed with regard to your ethnic group in your lifetime?

REGRETS, MISTAKES, MILESTONES AND TURNING POINTS

1. What is the biggest mistake you every made?
2. What is the smartest decision you ever made?
3. Is there something you have always dreamed of doing but never did?
4. Has someone important in your life died before you had the opportunity to tell them something? Who was it and what would you have said?
5. What act or person has been a source of great inspiration in your life?
6. Describe the funniest, silliest, or most embarrassing event(s) in your adult life.
7. What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were younger?
8. What period in your life did you enjoy most? Why?
9. If you could live your entire life over again, what would you do differently?

BELIEFS, VALUES, LESSONS AND ADVICE

1. What is the meaning of life?
2. Explain your deepest values.
3. What advice do you have about getting through difficult times and copying with change?
4. What does God mean to you?
5. Who is the wisest person you've ever met? In what way?
6. Why do we experience pain?
7. What brings happiness?
8. If you had only one week left to live, what would you do?
9. Have you made peace with everyone important in your life? Explain.
10. What is the most important gift we can give another human being?

NOW

1. What are you living your life for now? What are your personal priorities?
2. Describe your social life. Who are your friends? What do you do for fun?
3. What are your greatest personal concerns?
4. What do you see as your best qualities and strengths? For what are you complimented the most?
5. What gives you the greatest joy?
6. When are you the saddest?
7. How do you deal with things you can't change? How do you handle stress?
8. What do you feel your greatest contribution to life had been?
9. What plans and goals do you have for the future?
10. How do you hope to be remembered?

HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED

1. What are the most important changes you have ever seen during your lifetime?
2. What are the most negative changes you have seen during your lifetime?
3. Is today's younger generation very different from the young people of your generation? Have their values changed for better or worse?
4. What advantages do the youth of today have that you don't have?
5. What is more difficult about growing up today than when you were growing up?
6. What "modern conveniences" have affected your lifestyle the most?
7. What inventions have had the greatest impact on mankind?

FAVORITES: Tell what and why about your favorite:

1. Book
2. Movie
3. Food
4. Holiday
5. Joke
6. Season
7. Hero
8. Pick-Me-Up
9. Snack Food
10. Family traditions

SPECIAL QUESTIONS

1. What is the most important thing you want your family and friends to know about you?
2. Are there any misconceptions about you that you want to set straight?
3. Is there an issue you feel strongly about but have kept to yourself?
4. Are there any family or personal secrets you want to share?

• Print out this guide as a handy reference, or return to the main Lights, Camera, History! page for more details. 

• See our story about preserving your family snapshots.