PROJECT
Conduct an interview with your parents and find out
how things have changed over time. Your project must
contain a minimum of 10 questions.
Some ideas/topics you could include
the
questionnaire are:
(0) What they thought was a really fun thing to do.
(ii) The music they listened to
(iii) They movies they liked.
(iv) And the television shows they enjoyed.
(v) Why they liked these things back then?
(vi) When my parents were my age, what were they no
allowed to do?
Answers
Answer:
I interviewed her for about 6 hours split over 2 days. It ended up being a fairly powerful experience for me as an interviewer spanning a range of emotions. The interview also filled in some gaps I had in my knowledge of my mother’s history and helped me understand her journey more completely even though I had heard bits and pieces of her story over my lifetime. Some philosophical differences also were clearly highlighted and articulated which are interesting future topics of conversation.
It’s difficult to imagine taking a 65+ year life and asking someone condense it down into a few hours of video but ultimately our stories are lived moment-to-moment and it was illuminating to see which ones stood out for my mom and the emotion that each of those moments still carries for her. I’m grateful she was vulnerable, able to remember so much, and willing to spend the time.
Finally, I included the process and questions I ended up asking her since they may be of help to others that want to go through this process with their own parents.
It was an immense privilege to be able to do this interview. I hope the experience of showing interest in, and hearing, their life story gives you an opportunity to be present with your parents and helps you bring new light to your relationship with your them.