Interview Guide: Questions to Ask Your Parents Before It’s Too Late

Before the Silence

There comes a day when you’ll wish for just one more conversation. One more laugh. One more story. One more glimpse into the life they lived before you ever knew them as "Mum" or "Dad."

Many of us wait for the “right moment” to ask deeper questions. We tell ourselves we’ll sit down together one day and really talk. But time passes quietly. And with it, entire chapters of a loved one’s life can be lost, memories unspoken, wisdom unshared, voices unheard.

This guide is your invitation to begin now. To have the kind of conversations that leave behind more than answers, they leave behind a legacy.

Why These Conversations Matter?

Our parents are living archives. They carry decades of history, emotion, and lived experience. Yet most of us only know fragments, the roles they played in our lives, not the full journey of their own.

Capturing their stories isn’t just a gift to yourself. It’s a legacy for your children, your grandchildren, and the generations that follow. A way for voices to echo through time.

And most importantly, it’s a way to make your parents feel seen, heard, and deeply valued.

Creating the Right Moment

These interviews don’t need to be formal. You’re not a journalist, you’re family.

• Pick a quiet, relaxed time—a Sunday afternoon, a long drive, a shared walk.
• Use a phone or recorder (with their permission)—you’ll treasure their voice later.
• Let it flow naturally—ask a question, then listen with your whole heart.

You’re not collecting facts. You’re capturing feeling.

The Questions That Matter Most

Here are some meaningful prompts, grouped to help guide the conversation.

🌱 Early Life & Roots

• -What’s one of your earliest memories?
• -What were your parents like?
• -What did your home look and smell like growing up?
• -Who was your first best friend?

❤️ Love, Relationships & Life Lessons

• -How did you meet your partner?
• -What did love look like to you when you were young?
• -What’s the hardest decision you ever had to make?
• -What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to say but never did?

💼 Work, Passion & Purpose

• -What was your very first job?
• -What did success mean to you in your 30s?
• -Is there something you wanted to do, but never got the chance?
• -What achievement are you most proud of?

🧭 Values, Beliefs & Meaning

• -What do you think makes a life well lived?
• -What values matter most to you?
• -What do you hope people remember you for?
• -If you could pass on one piece of advice to your great-grandchildren, what would it be?

✨ Stories & Surprises

• -What’s a funny memory few people know about?
• -Any childhood mischief or secrets?
• -What’s something about you that might surprise us?

How to Make It Last

Recording is just the beginning.

Once you have their stories, consider:

• -Saving it digitally in multiple formats (audio, video, text)
• -Transcribing and gifting it to family as a keepsake
• -Turning it into a legacy capsule through platforms like Eteris, where their voice, story, and wisdom can live on forever

You’re not just preserving words. You’re preserving presence.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait

One day, you’ll long to hear their voice again. To ask that one thing you forgot. To understand them just a little better.

Start with one question. One moment. One story.

Because someday becomes too late far sooner than we expect.

And because love, when recorded with intention, becomes something close to forever.

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