FROM THE MY LIFE STORY WORKBOOK
Questions to Ask Your Mom About Her Life: 25 She'll Enjoy Answering
About her family, the years before you came along, the people she loved and what it was like to become a mom.
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You know your mom as your mom. These questions are about the rest of her: the girl who broke a rule just once, the young woman with plans at eighteen, the friend who showed up for someone.
All 25 come from the My Life Story workbook. They are questions about her life, not quiz questions, so give them time. Ask one over coffee, or send one by text and call her about it later. If she became a mom through marriage, adoption or fostering, or never had children of her own and mothered plenty of people anyway, the questions still fit.
Chapter 1 · Where I Come From
Her family and where she comes from
Who raised you? Describe each person who took care of you and what they were like.
Anyone counts. You could start with a voice or a habit.
What do you know about your mother's childhood?
What is one thing someone taught you without ever saying it out loud?
Who in the family do people say you take after, and in what way?
Chapter 4 · Growing Up
When she was young
What music was playing in your house or car then? Describe how it made you feel.
No need for lyrics. The mood and the place are enough.
Who did you look up to when you were young?
What rule did you break, just once?
When did you first feel grown up?
What were you most excited about at eighteen?
What did you dream of doing when you were young? Did you do it?
Chapter 6 · The People I Loved
The people she loved
How did you meet the person you shared your life with, or the person who mattered most to you?
You could start with: the place, the weather, what they were wearing.
What did you notice about them first?
Where did you live when you first started out together?
Who was your closest friend as an adult?
Tell about a friend who showed up exactly when you needed them.
What kindness did someone do for you that you have never forgotten?
Chapter 7 · Becoming a Parent
Becoming a mom
What was the day like when you first became a parent?
You could start with: where you were, who called whom, the first thing you said.
How did you choose each child's name?
Who did your first baby remind you of?
What was a night with a baby that you will never forget?
What did each child love as a little one?
What did your children teach you?
Tell about a day when the whole family laughed until it hurt.
Describe a family trip. Where did you go, and what went wrong?
Tell about an ordinary day in your house when the children were small, from morning to bedtime.
A few ways to make it easy for her
- Start with something light. Ask "What food always tastes like home to you?" first. Easy answers get the stories moving.
- Ask for a story, not a summary. "Tell about the day..." gets more than "What was it like?"
- Write her words down for her. Many moms find talking easier than writing. You hold the pen, she tells it.
- Let her skip any question. Some chapters of a life are private or still tender. Nothing on this list is required.
Get this list as a printable PDF ›
Need the practical conversation too, about doctors, papers and who to call? That's a different list: questions to ask aging parents.
From My Life Story, a printable memory workbook with nearly 300 questions · papersinorder.com/life-story/
