There are questions we mean to ask. Questions we've been meaning to ask for years.

"Tell me about when you were young."

"What was it like growing up?"

"What do you wish you'd known?"

But life gets busy. The moment passes. And then one day, we realise we never asked — and now we can't.

This list exists so that doesn't happen to your family.

These 50 questions are designed to open doors. Some will make your parents laugh. Some might make them pause. Some might lead to stories you've never heard before — stories that deserve to be saved.

You don't need to ask all 50 in one sitting. Start with one. See where it takes you.

The stories you capture this year will be the ones your grandchildren treasure in 30 years' time.

Childhood & Growing Up

1. What's your earliest memory?Don't prompt them — let it surface naturally. What comes up first is often deeply telling.
2. What was your childhood home like?Ask about the smells, the sounds, the feeling of it — not just what it looked like.
3. Who was your best friend growing up, and what did you get up to together?Friendships from childhood often reveal who someone was before the world shaped them.
4. What were you like as a kid? Were you shy, or did you get into trouble?Most parents light up at this one.
5. What did you want to be when you grew up?And the follow-up: how do you feel about how things turned out?
6. What was school like for you?Ask about teachers, subjects they loved, ones they didn't. This often unlocks a lot.
7. What's something you got away with as a kid that your own parents never found out about?This one usually gets a laugh — and a great story.
8. What did your family do for fun when you were young?Holidays, traditions, Sunday rituals — these are the threads of family culture.

Family & Where You Come From

9. Tell me about your parents. What were they like?Your grandparents, through your parent's eyes. Often deeply moving.
10. What's something you learned from your mother that you've carried your whole life?
11. What's something you learned from your father?
12. Do you know much about where our family originally came from?Heritage, migration, stories from further back. Many families have stories here that have never been told.
13. Is there anyone in our family history you wish I could have met?This question often surfaces extraordinary people who are at risk of being forgotten.
14. What's a family tradition you loved — or one you're glad didn't survive?
15. What do you think has been passed down through our family — good or bad?

"I never knew my grandfather had lived through the war until I asked. He'd never spoken about it. But when I finally asked, it all came out. Two hours of stories I'll never forget."

Work, Purpose & Life Choices

16. How did you end up in the career you had?Was it planned, accidental, or something they fell into out of necessity?
17. What did you sacrifice to provide for our family that you never told us about?This one can open something profound. Give them space to answer.
18. Was there a path you didn't take that you still think about?
19. What work are you most proud of in your life?This might not be professional. It might be raising you.
20. Was there a time when everything felt like it was falling apart? How did you get through it?
21. What's the hardest decision you've ever had to make?
22. Is there anything you wish you'd done differently?Not to dwell in regret, but to understand. These answers are gifts.

Defining Moments

23. What's the moment in your life you're most proud of?
24. Was there a moment that completely changed the direction of your life?
25. What was the happiest day of your life?
26. What was the hardest thing you've ever been through?Only ask this if you have time and space to truly listen. It deserves it.
27. Has your faith — or your relationship with it — changed over the years?
28. What world event affected you most deeply?This gives you context for who they were and how the world shaped them.
29. When did you first feel like a real adult?
30. Is there something you survived that made you realise how strong you were?

Values & How You See the World

31. What do you believe in, more than anything else?
32. What does a good life look like to you?
33. What do you think people get wrong about life?
34. Is there something you used to believe that you no longer do?
35. What's the best advice you were ever given?
36. What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were young?
37. What do you want people to say about you when you're gone?

Joy, Laughter & the Small Things

38. What's made you laugh the hardest in your life?This is a beautiful question. The answer will make you both smile.
39. What's something simple that brings you real happiness?
40. Is there a song, a smell, or a place that takes you straight back somewhere?
41. What's a small pleasure in life that you'd never give up?
42. What's the funniest thing one of your kids ever said or did?Fair warning: this may be embarrassing for you.

Legacy & What You Want to Pass On

43. What do you hope your children have learned from watching you live?
44. What do you want your grandchildren to know about you, beyond your name?
45. Is there something important about our family that you're afraid might be forgotten?
46. What's something you've never said out loud that you'd want your family to know?Give them time with this one. Sometimes the most important things live here.
47. What do you hope the world looks like for your grandchildren?
48. If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

The Voice Only They Have

49. Is there a story from your life that you've always wanted to tell, but no one has ever thought to ask?This is the most important question on the list. Leave it until last. Give it the most space.
50. What do you want your family to remember about you?Not what they will remember. What you want them to. There's a difference — and the answer matters deeply.

The difference between a memory and a legacy is a recording. A Legacy Session gives your family both.