The best recipes, crafts, gift ideas, family travel tips, and kids activities from one modern mom to another! Do you know what questions to ask valentine’s day gifts for parents from preschoolers parents that will spark meaningful conversations? I am talking about thought-provoking open-ended questions.
It can be hard to strike up deep conversations with close relatives. Often we go through our lives so busy that we forget to talk to our own parents about their own journeys. Small talk takes over and we are left with dull conversations and a foggy memory of what we think we remembered about them. When I was a child, my history teacher made us interview a grandparent about their childhood. At the time I thought it was the biggest waste of my time, but looking back it was the best gift my teacher could ever give me.
At the end of our conversation, I had a binder full of answers to meaningful questions. My other grandpa told tall tales about his life, but I regret that I never wrote them down because at the time it was not a school assignment and the thought never crossed my mind. What I would do today is to have a written document with answers to the questions below from both of these strong men. That would have been a gem to have! The good news is that my parents are still alive and well. Some of these questions I can almost predict their answers from memory, but I have no clue what they would say.
It is my goal to sit down with them along with my sister who is an amazing videographer and ask these questions. Don’t feel confident with a camera? Get out your phone or pad of paper and pen and have fun with the interview! If your grandparents are still on this Earth, definitely include them in on the fun. What’s the hardest thing about raising children?
Tell me about the day I was born. What did you want to be when you were growing up? If you could change one thing about your life what would it be and why? What is one thing you know to be true? What were you going to name me if I was the opposite sex? What was your favorite band growing up?
What’s your fondest memory in your first car? Is becoming a grandparent different than becoming a parent? What’s your best advice when buying a new home? Do you believe in love at first sight? Did you play any sports growing up or participate in any extra-curricular activities?
Where have you traveled the furthest? What do you think the greatest invention has been during your lifetime? If not, what did you do that you should have been arrested for? How much money does a person need to love life? What is your most embarrassing moment? What was the best gift I ever gave you?