How to Interview Your Parents About Their Life
A complete guide to having meaningful conversations with your parents and preserving their stories for future generations.
Summary
Schedule a relaxed chat, hit record, and let your parents tell the stories only they can. The Archivist captures the audio, generates transcripts, and links the people mentioned so nothing gets lost once the conversation ends.
Your parents carry stories, experiences, and wisdom that only they can share. Interviewing them about their life is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give to your family - and to them. These conversations create a lasting record of their experiences, values, and memories that will be treasured for generations to come.
Why Interview Your Parents?
Time passes quickly, and memories fade. Your parents' stories are irreplaceable - once they're gone, those stories are lost forever. Interviewing them now ensures that:
- Their experiences and wisdom are preserved for future generations
- You understand your family's history and where you come from
- You create a meaningful connection and show them their life matters
- Future family members can hear their voice and stories
- You capture details that photos alone can't tell
These interviews become priceless family heirlooms - more valuable than any material possession. Learn why we built The Archivist to help preserve these stories. For a complete guide on preserving all types of family memories, see our guide on how to preserve family memories.
How to Prepare for the Interview
Before You Start:
- Choose the right time: Pick a relaxed moment when they're not rushed or stressed
- Find a quiet place: Minimize background noise for better recording quality
- Test your equipment: Make sure your phone or recorder works and has enough battery
- Prepare questions: Have a list ready, but be flexible to follow interesting tangents
- Set expectations: Let them know this is casual - no pressure to be perfect
Recording Tips:
- Use your phone's voice recorder or a dedicated app
- Place the phone close enough to capture clear audio
- Record in a quiet environment - turn off TV, radio, etc.
- Don't worry about perfect quality - the story matters more than audio perfection
- Record multiple sessions - don't try to cover everything at once
Questions to Ask Your Parents
Here are questions organized by topic. Don't try to ask all of them - pick the ones that feel most relevant and let the conversation flow naturally.
Childhood & Early Years
- What was your childhood home like?
- What games did you play as a child?
- Who were your best friends growing up?
- What was school like for you?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
Family & Relationships
- Tell me about your parents - what were they like?
- What was your relationship with your siblings?
- How did you meet mom/dad?
- What was your wedding day like?
- What was it like becoming a parent?
Work & Career
- What was your first job?
- What did you do for work?
- What was your favorite job and why?
- What challenges did you face in your career?
- What are you most proud of professionally?
Life Experiences
- What was the happiest moment of your life?
- What was the most difficult time you faced?
- What are your favorite memories?
- What places have you traveled to?
- What traditions were important in your family?
Wisdom & Reflections
- What advice would you give to your younger self?
- What have you learned about life?
- What values are most important to you?
- What do you hope people remember about you?
- What makes you proud of your family?
During the Interview
Best Practices:
- Listen more than you talk: Let them tell the story in their own way
- Ask follow-up questions: "What was that like?" or "Tell me more about that"
- Don't interrupt: Let them finish their thoughts, even if they go off-topic
- Show genuine interest: Your engagement encourages them to share more
- Be patient: Some memories take time to surface
- Respect boundaries: If they don't want to talk about something, move on
- Capture emotions: Ask how they felt, not just what happened
After the Interview
Once you've recorded the interview, the next step is to preserve and organize it so it can be shared and treasured by your family. For more tips on preserving all types of family memories, see our complete guide on how to preserve family memories.
What to Do Next:
- Save the recording in a safe place - use cloud storage as backup
- Transcribe the conversation (or use automatic transcription tools)
- Link the recording to the people mentioned in the story
- Add photos that relate to the stories told
- Share with family members so they can also enjoy these memories
- Create a family archive to keep everything organized
The Archivist can automatically transcribe your recordings, identify people mentioned, and link stories to your family tree - making it easy to create a searchable, organized family archive.
Make It a Regular Practice
One interview is great, but regular conversations capture so much more. Make interviewing your parents a regular part of your relationship.
- Schedule monthly or quarterly interview sessions
- Record casual conversations - not everything needs to be formal
- Ask about current events and how they relate to their past experiences
- Let different family members conduct interviews for different perspectives
- Create a family tradition around storytelling and memory sharing
Quick answers
What is the first question to ask my parents?
Start with “What was your childhood home like?” It opens the door to dozens of follow-up stories about people, places, and feelings.
How do I keep the interview natural?
Use The Archivist’s browser recorder, sit somewhere comfortable, and treat it like a conversation. Let them see the mic icon glowing so they know it’s being captured.
What should I do with the recording afterward?
Upload it to The Archivist, tag who is mentioned, add related photos, and invite siblings to fact-check or add their own memories.
Want a printable version? Grab the Memory Interview Cheat Sheet or pick a few questions from the Childhood Story Prompts inside our Guides hub.
Start Interviewing Your Parents Today
Don't wait - start recording your parents' stories now. The Archivist makes it easy to record, transcribe, and preserve these precious conversations forever.
Free to start · Takes under 60 seconds