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Just the Facts
What is your name?
Where do you live?
Where were you born?
When is your birthday? How old are you?
Are you married? Children?
Have you had any nicknames? Which did you like and dislike?
Where did you grow up? What was it like there? Describe your house, your neighborhood, what life was like there.
How did you wind up living where you do now?
Where did you grow up? What was it like there? Describe your house, your neighborhood, what life was like there.
Describe your Mom. What are your favorite (goofiest, silliest, most interesting, most amazing) stories about her? How are you like your mom (in both good and not-so-good ways)? How would you like your children to be like her?
Describe your Dad. What are your favorite stories about him? What is he like? How are you like your Dad (in both good and not-so-good ways?) How would you like your children to be like him?
Who do you look like? What features of yours look like other members of your family?
Where did your name come from?
Who are your siblings? How did you get along as kids? What did you fight about? Tell some stories about you and your brothers/sisters growing up.
Describe your extended family. Who are you closest to? What stories can you tell about them?
Who are your grandparents? Favorite memories of your Grandmothers? Favorite memories of your Grandfathers?
Do you have any special family recipes?
Does your family play jokes on each other? What are some of the best?
What lessons have you learned from your parents that you rely on today?
What do you most appreciate about the different members of your family? What would you like them to appreciate about you?
What were your family traditions growing up? Do you do any of these with your family? Have you introduced any new traditions with your own family?
What did you do on family vacations?
What's the best trip you have ever taken with your family?
Tell some stories that you think we should know about you.
Because I Said So
Who are your children? Names, ages, genders, birthdays.
What few words would you use to describe each?
Tell stories about your children as babies. What is the funniest thing they did?
Where did their names come from?
Who do your children look like?
Can you describe some of your childrens' "firsts." (i.e. first words, first steps, first teeth, losing first teeth, first day of school, first friend, etc.)
How do you celebrate your children's birthdays?
What were bedtime routines like when your children were babies? Toddlers? Older?
What is the best thing about being a parent? What is the hardest?
What three things do you hope your children will learn from you?
What have you learned from your children?
What 5 things MUST your children do in their lives?
What makes you a good parent? How do you learn to be a good parent?
What are your wishes for your children?
What values do you hope to instill in them?
What advice would you give to your child on his/her first day of first grade? Of middle school? Of high school? Of college?
What qualities of yours do you hope your children will have? Of your spouse? Which do you hope they will not have?
What rules do you expect your children to follow?
Who, other than you, do you believe your children can trust?
When should your children be allowed to start dating? When did you?
When should girls be allowed to start wearing makeup? Get pierced ears? When did you?
What are your thoughts for your children on education? On careers and working? On starting a family? On travel?
How do you think your children should spend their summers? When should they get a job? When did you?
In what ways do you think boys and girls should be treated differently? The same? In what areas do you have a double standard?
What do you think your children are good at?
When I Was Your Age
What did you dress up as on Halloween? Were your costumes homemade? Store bought?
What sports do you play? What sports/activities do you think your children should learn?
What stories do you remember your parents telling you about when you were a baby?
How did you spend your summer vacations?
What was your first job? What were your other jobs as a kid?
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you do for a living? How did you choose your current career?
What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
Did you have any pets? Describe.
Did you ever run away from home? What did you pack? Where did you go?
Did you have a secret hideout? Where was it? What did you do there? Did anyone else go there with you?
What was the biggest trouble you ever got in to as a child? Teenager? Adult?
Have you ever been picked on?
Did you ever pick on someone else?
What embarrassed you most as a kid? Was there a very embarrassing moment you can recall?
What was your favorite music when you were younger?
Did you go to concerts? What was your first one? How old we you? What were some others?
How do you handle losing? Describe a time that you lost a game that you really wanted to win.
What did your parents do that embarrassed you?
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Did you ever have a friend your parents didn't approve of? What did you do?
Did you ever do anything illegal?
Who is the first person who broke your heart? Who was your first boy/girlfriend? Who was your first love?
Tell of a time that you went along with the crowd and shouldn't have.
Tell of a time that there was pressure to, but you didn't go along with the crowd.
Tell of a time that you deliberately broke your parents' rules. What happened?
Tell some stories about your prom. Describe your dress, hair, your date, the evening, etc.
How did you learn to drive?
What are some of your favorite teenage memories? What was the worst?
Describe what you were like as a teenager. What did your parents think of you?
What was your relationship with your parents like when you were a teenager?
Did you feel understood or misunderstood by your parents?
What did you think of your looks then? What do you think now when you look at pictures of yourself from then?
What's the worst fashion decision you've ever made? Clothes? Haircuts?
Were you popular? What crowd/group/clique were you in?
What did you do after school? What extracurricular activities?
What were your goals?
What music did you listen to?
Describe a typical weekend.
What did you and your friends do?
Did you have a curfew? What rules did your parents impose that you thought were unreasonable or reasonable? What do you think of them now?
What did you lie to your parents about?
Who could you talk to about personal things?
Have you ever been able to help someone in need?
Have you ever felt left out by your friends?
Were you ever not allowed to do something that you really wanted to do? Did you do it anyway? What happened?
Education
What were the names of your schools? Did you walk, take a bus or get a ride to school?
Tell about some of your teachers who have had the greatest impact on your life.
Did you ever get picked on or made fun of? For what?
Did you ever get into any trouble in school? For what?
Did you ever get sent to the Principal's office? For what?
How and why did you choose the college you went to?
What subjects in school did you struggle with? How did you handle it?
Were you in a clique?
How would you describe yourself in elementary school? Middle School? High school?
Did you like school? Why or why not?
What was the worst grade you got and what subject? What did your parents say?
Tell about what you did after school? What were your extracurricular activities? Did you choose them? Did your parents want you to do certain things?
What were your goals for your college education?
How did you choose your college? What was the application process like?
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
What songs have special meaning for you?
What is your favorite joke?
Pepsi or Coke? Coffee or Tea? What do you put on a hot dog? Hot or Cold? Mountains or flat? Snow or Beach? North or South?
What's your favorite movie? Favorite movie quote? What are your favorite movie snacks?
What's your favorite book as a kid? As a grown up?
What was the best day of your life? What moments do you specifically remember?
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Favorite dinner to cook? Favorite dessert? Why?
What was your favorite vacation?
What's your favorite day of the week and why?
What's your favorite color?
What's your favorite way to wake up?
What has been your favorite birthday?
What's your favorite thing to do in the morning?
What are some of your favorite places and things to do in your hometown?
What's your favorite swear word?
What are your favorite places to visit and why?
Describe your favorite season.
What are your worst fears?
What do you do when you're scared to make yourself feel better?
What do you know for sure?
Love & Marriage
What qualities were you looking for in a mate? Does your spouse have them? Does he/she have qualities that you didn't think you wanted?
Describe some of the things you have learned from previous relationships. From your spouse?
What are your spouse's good and bad habits?
What makes a successful marriage? What causes problems?
What do you and your spouse fight about? How do you work out disagreements?
What are the secrets to a happy marriage?
Who did you date who was not your type? What is your type? What have been the "deal breakers?"
Where and when did you meet your spouse? What did you think the first moment you saw him/her? When did you know you wanted to marry him/her? How did you know (s)he was the one?
How did you get engaged?
Describe your wedding. Did you have something new, old, borrowed, blue? Tell about your wedding ring. Who was in your wedding party?
A Penny for Your Thoughts
Tell about any people who have taught you something worthwhile.
What is the most fun you've ever had?
What makes you laugh uncontrollably?
What is something you regret? If you could undo something, what would it be?
Describe a time when you had to muster up all your courage to do something.
Have you ever had any recurring dreams?
What are you afraid to do?
For what are you grateful?
What makes you lucky?
What is one of your most memorable experiences?
How would you describe your style?
What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?
Other than your hometown, where would you like to live? Why?
What is your definition of success?
What or who made you feel jealous?
What makes you feel shy, embarrassed or insecure? What do you do to overcome uncomfortable feelings?
What were some of your biggest successes? Biggest failures?
Tell about times when you really wanted something, and tried for it, but didn't get it or were rejected.
What trip do you wish you had taken, but didn't?
Who are you named after? What's your Hebrew name? What do you know about the people you were named after? What were they like?
What things do you keep for sentimental reasons? Are there any sentimental items that you don't have anymore?
What mistakes have you made? What did you learn from them?
What five words would you use to describe yourself? To describe your spouse?
What is the most important historical event to take place in your lifetime? What are some other memorable events (the interesting ones, without the real significant historical importance)?
What's unique about you?
What do you do really well?
What's one thing you'd REALLY like to do?
How would you describe your style?
What values do you think are the most important?
When you have an important decision to make, how do you make it?
What have you learned from me?
What is the best compliment you have ever gotten?
What was your favorite age/time in your life? Why?
What goal or dream have you not yet achieved? Why? Will you?
What goals did you set for yourself did you achieve? How?
What is the best gift you've ever received? What would be the best gift someone could give you right now?
Describe a time you had a difficult choice to make. Did you make the right or wrong decision?
If you could ask your mother or father a question, what would it be?
Friendship
Tell about your best friends. What do your friends and you do together?
Tell about three friends who have had the greatest impact on your life.
Tell about any enemies or rivals you had. What did you learn?
Who is your most outrageous friend? How?
Who is your oldest friend? What is the secret to a long, lasting friendship?
Describe some of the things you have learned from your friends.
What makes someone a good friend? What makes you a good friend?
Describe your High School friends. Your college friends?
What's the best way to make new friends?
When have you and a good friend had an argument? How did you handle it? How did you resolve it?
Have you ever been jealous of a friend? Have you ever disapproved of a friend's choices or behavior? What did you do?
What is the nicest thing a friend has ever done for you?
What is the nicest thing you have ever done for a friend?
Have you ever been disappointed by a friend? Have you ever disappointed someone?
On Cancer
How did you find out that you had cancer?
What type of cancer do you have?
Describe your treatment.
How are you now?
Who are your doctors? What qualities does a good doctor have?
How would you describe yourself as a patient?
How has your day-to-day life changed since your diagnosis?
How have you changed since your diagnosis? What positive changes have you noticed?
How have your family members changed since your diagnosis? What positive changes have you noticed in each of them?
What have you learned about yourself through this?
What have you learned about your family? Your friends? Your spouse? Your children?
Are you religious? What is your faith? Has your faith or religious beliefs changed as a result of your illness? How?
What are your beliefs about death, heaven, life after death, etc.?
How do you want people to think of you?
How has your disease affected your family?
What is important to you? How has it changed since your diagnosis?
What scares you?
How do you handle anxiety and fear?
How often during the day do you find yourself thinking about your illness? How do you handle that?
Have your priorities changed? What is more important? What is less important?
Since your diagnosis, have your goals and dreams changed?
What do you hope to accomplish?
What do you want or need from your friends? Spouse? Family?

Just So You Know, Inc .

43 Old Hill Road
Westport, CT 06880
Phone: 203-341-9609
Fax: 203-226-8783
Email: robin@just-so-you-know.org
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