Tell Me About Us

This fall my mom decided it was time to move from her home to a smaller apartment. I have been cleaning out mom's house with the unexpected time away from school due to corona virus. (The safest place in the world might be an unoccupied house in rural Indiana.) Going through the memories there, I found a beautiful journal that mom's family gave her. The corona virus has many of us experiencing a dramatic shift in our daily flow of activities. Families are sharing important time together. It can be a chance to pass on the stories that make up the family's history. I've adapted some of the prompts from Mom's journal and included them below. Feel free to edit and use with your family or circulate with your students if you think it might be useful for remote learning.

Stay safe, stay in touch with your loved ones...Carol

Everyone loves a great story, and the best stories are our own. Write your own story with your family. Here are some prompts to get started.

Kids, to ask your parents:

What is your date and place of birth:

What are your parents’ names:

Your brothers and sisters names:

How did your parents decide on your name?

Your grandparents’ (my great grandparents’) names:

Tell me a story that your parents shared about your childhood.

Did you have a nickname? If so, what’s the story behind it?

What’s a very important lesson you learned from your mother?

What is the best piece of advice your father gave you

What is your most cherished memory of my grandparents?

What was your favorite family activity?

Who were your best friends? Tell me about them.

What did you like to play?

What is one of your happiest memories?

Tell me about your elementary school years.

Did you have favorite television shows? Songs? Movies? Books?

What made you love these?

Do you have a special childhood memory?

What was the funniest date you ever went on?

What silly things happened in high school?

What news events do you remember?

What was a great technology advance of the day?

What do I have, that you would never have dreamed of back when you were in high school?

Did you have favorite celebrities?

What was your first job?

What job was the best, worst, that you ever had?

Tell me about when you met my mom/dad.

What was the nicest thing about my mom/dad?

What foods did you crave when you were pregnant with me?

Do you think of your own mom or dad when we spend time together?

How did you feel when you held me for the first time?

How did you choose my name?

Do I ever remind you of yourself?

How are we really different?

What is your favorite part about watching me grow up?