Which song was everywhere the year you turned eighteen?
Grandparents deck · 98 cards
Questions to ask your grandparents
1 of 98
Tap the card or press space for the next one. Skipping is always fine.
For the stories nobody wrote down. Ask one at a time, let the answers wander, and think about recording them. You'll be glad you did.
All 98 questions
The whole deck in order, from light to deep. Handy if you'd rather read from a list or print it.
Light
- Which song was everywhere the year you turned eighteen?
- Tell me the naughtiest thing you did at school and never got caught for?
- What did you and your friends do on a Saturday night when you were twenty?
- What was my mom or dad like as a kid?
- What's the most ridiculous thing my mom or dad did as a kid that still makes you laugh?
- Which long-gone family meal or discontinued snack would you love to taste just one more time?
- What did the house you grew up in smell like?
- How were birthdays celebrated when you were little?
- What games did you play outside as a kid, and who always won?
- When there was no money for anything, what did you do for fun?
- Who was the biggest character in the neighbourhood you grew up in?
- Which outfit or hairstyle from your youth were you proudest of at the time?
- How did you get to school each morning, and what did the building look like?
- What was dating like back in your day?
- What's your best "When I was your age..." story?
- What was the very first way you ever made money?
- When you started dating, who made the first move?
- Were you strict or easygoing as a parent, honestly?
- What did you have as a child that kids today don't have?
- What happened at a family wedding that you'll never forget?
- What's the most romantic thing Grandpa or Grandma ever did for you?
- Do you remember the first time you saw a television, a plane or a fridge?
- What's the first major news story you can remember living through as a child?
- What's the most embarrassing thing Grandpa or Grandma did that still makes you laugh?
- What's your secret to longevity?
- How did you choose your children's names?
- What was mealtime like in your house growing up?
- As a kid, did you ever sneak out of the house at night?
Closer
- Tell me about your best friend when you were my age?
- What was the day my mum or dad was born like for you?
- Can you walk me through the house you grew up in, room by room?
- Which day of your life would you live again, exactly as it was?
- Where did you live when you first left home, and what was it like?
- Which place from your childhood no longer exists, and what was it like?
- Which skill did you have to learn young that most people don't need today?
- What did your parents want you to become, and what did you become instead?
- What was the first big thing you ever saved up for, and how long did it take?
- When did you first feel like a real grown-up?
- As a new parent, which day scared you the most?
- How did your first day at your first real job go?
- What was your first home together like, and what did you own?
- What did your mother or father do all day when you were small?
- As a teenager, what did you and your parents argue about most?
- Which risk did you take when you were young that turned out well?
- When did you first travel somewhere far, and what caught your eye?
- How did your family celebrate the big festivals when you were little?
- What was hard about the world you grew up in that people today forget?
- Which letter or piece of news that arrived by post do you still remember?
- What stage of life did you most enjoy and why?
- What's a secret you kept from your own mother?
- What's the secret to a long and happy marriage?
- What's the most amazing story in our family's history?
- What's the most important lesson your parents taught you?
- Besides your parents, who taught you the most about life?
- Where did our family come from, and how did we end up here?
- Which of your childhood dreams did you actually make come true?
- What's something important you lost that you still wish you had?
- How did you meet Grandma or Grandpa, and what was your first impression?
- What's your greatest love story, whether with a person, a place or a pet?
- Which family heirloom do you treasure most, and what's the story behind it?
- What's one thing you just don't understand about the generation after yours?
- Who were your heroes growing up?
- What do you still hope to accomplish?
- Did you get cold feet before your wedding?
- What do you admire most about your parents?
- What's your most prized possession, and why?
- What's your most treasured childhood memory?
- What was the best phase of your life so far?
- Who's had the biggest influence on your life?
- What's the greatest gift you've ever been given?
- What do you remember most about your wedding day?
- What's the most important lesson to teach a child?
- How would you describe your parents' relationship?
- When did you have to stand up for what you believed in?
Deep
- Which thing are you most proud of that nobody ever thanked you for?
- Which part of you do you see in me?
- What did you give up so your children could have more?
- When were you most afraid, and what got you through it?
- Which decision of yours changed everything for our family?
- Is there a thank-you or an apology you still wish you'd said?
- Which person from your past do you most wish I could have met?
- Which hard year taught you the most, and what did it teach you?
- If you could sit down with yourself at twenty, what would you say?
- What do you understand about your parents now that you didn't at my age?
- Which part of your life do you wish your grandchildren asked you about more?
- What did you believe at thirty that you've completely changed your mind about?
- Have you ever forgiven something you never thought you could?
- How has your idea of a good life changed since you were young?
- Is there a small everyday habit of yours you hope gets passed down?
- Who is someone you wish was still around?
- Who changed the course of your life the most?
- What was the biggest turning point of your life?
- As you look back at your life, what stands out the most?
- What do you miss most about your parents or grandparents?
- Do you have a family member you wish you'd gotten to know better?
- What were the hardest and the most rewarding parts of being a parent?
- How did you get through unhappy times in your life?
- How do you want to be remembered by future generations?