What was something you and a brother or sister did together regularly?
How would you describe your father or mother?
Describe something you and your father or mother did together.
What is something that made your mother or father happy?
Can you make some predictions for your children, grandchildren?
What is something you like or liked about one of your relatives?
How strong are your relationships with the members of your original family?
With what family member would you most like to work?
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE, WOULD YOU …
… hang out with your dad or your mom on a Saturday night?
… have left home at age fifteen or still live there now?
… dress like your parents or act like them?
… lie to your mom or to your significant other?
… be the oldest child or the baby of the family?
… be an only child or one of ten children?
What character or physical traits did you inherit from your mother and father?
Who were your mother’s idols?
Do you know your family’s special recipes?
How often did your parents say they loved you when you were young?
How did your mother and father meet?
If your ancestors emigrated from another country, from where did they come?
Describe the “ideal” family.
What is one of the ways you and a brother or sister are alike?
What arguments did you have over and over with your parents?
What are the ways you tried to make your parents happy?
How warm is your family?
What is your most horrifying childhood memory of your parents?
Who in your family do you most look like?
Have you ever visited a deceased friend or relative in a cemetery a year after they died?
Where did they settle and why?
What hobbies did your parents have during your childhood?
What do you depend on your family for?
What values did your parents instill in you?
What do you think of families with two mothers or two fathers?
How did you typically get into trouble with your parents and how were you punished?
What is your father’s work?
Would you care for your parents in their old age?
What unanswered question would you like to ask your grandparents?
What is something you did as a child that your parents still do not know about?
Who had more influence on you: mother or father?
Where was the secret hideout of your youth?
When you were young, were you told you could do or be anything you wanted?
What would make you feel betrayed by your mate?
What do you think about mandatory premarital counseling?
Do you think that kids raised in households without fathers are at a disadvantage?
WHAT IF …
… you were infertile; would you adopt?
… a friend of yours wanted a shotgun/whirlwind wedding; would you advise against it?
… you found out you were adopted; how would you feel?
… you discovered one of your parents having an affair?
… you were a child again; what would you tell your parents?
… you could change how you handled your most significant relationship; what would you do differently?
In your family, did everyone have their own seat at the dinner table?
What do you remember about your oldest relative(s) whom you knew personally?
What people did you have to take care of while growing up?
Did you play tricks on your siblings?
Are you the same person with your family as with your friends; if not, what are the differences and why?
Tell a story of an eccentric relative.
What is your happiest memory of your father?
What do you like about your sibling(s)?
What are your sisters and brothers like and what do they do?
Were your parents happy with the circumstances of their lives?
Can you recall a specific incident that got you into trouble at home?
What was the most memorable family outing?
Do you think you said or have said “I love you” enough to your mother and father?
What did your grandparents do for a living?
Do you feel that your parents did a bad, fair, good, or excellent job in raising you?
What was your upbringing: rich, poor, or middle class?
How often would you like to see your parents?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your family?
What lessons did your parents feel strongly about passing on to you?
How did you usually eat dinner as a family growing up?
What deaths in the family affected you strongly?
Recall the first time you saw your siblings.
What family vacations were taken and where? What was a particularly memorable one?
Which relative did you or do you get along best with?
What do you think your parents worried about when they were your age?
Did you ever feel ashamed of either of your parents?
Describe your grandmothers.
Did your parents split up or divorce?
Name something you like or admire about someone in your family.
Would (or do) your parents make good grandparents?
What is one thing you would like to have changed in your mother’s life?
What is the nicest thing a brother or sister ever did for you?
What is the oldest family photograph that you have?
What is the location of your family’s memorabilia?
What was one of your mother’s strongest characteristics?
What is one of the ways your mother and grandmother were/are alike (or father and grandfather)?
What would you really like to say to your brother or sister?
Does your family have strong traditions that you still observe?
How much time did your parents spend with you when you were a child?
Did your parents choose a legal guardian for you if they died prematurely? If so, who?
What advice do you offer for getting along with stepparents?
Can you love your stepparents or adopted parents as much as a biological parent?
Who is the most musical member of your family?
What is one thing you would like to have changed in your father’s life?
In my house, we never had enough _____.
What things about your parents worry you?
What decision would you like your family to make regarding your life if you were mentally or physically incapacitated?
Are you better off than your parents were?
Did/do your parents understand you?
Do you think intelligence is related to genetics?
How did your parents react to your grades?
What person in your family would you like to travel back in time to meet?
What do you know about your parents’ values, philosophies, and religious beliefs?
WHO IS …
… your most eccentric relative?
… your most famous ancestor?
… your family ashamed of?
… your family particularly proud of?
… your namesake?
… your favorite relative apart from your parents and siblings?
… the family member most similar to you?
… a family member who you have distanced yourself from?
… the relative you most enjoy visiting?
What was one of the more unique aspects of your family when growing up?
What is something you wish for your father?
What was the worst trouble you were in with your parents?
Who are two famous people you would have liked as parents?
What person from your family do you most admire?
Which is better: being a parent or grandparent?
How did you get along with your parents, especially as a teenager?