30 Questions for my Parents

Random Observation/Comment #728: Even if you don’t ask questions for advice, ask because you’re curious. I was surprised at how happy my parents were when I showed interest in their past, present, and future plans.

Why this List?

Sometimes I struggle with getting into the “real talk” with my parents. They are my ultimate idols and I don’t want to disappoint them or show vulnerability/weakness. I do, and have always, valued their opinion and experience through life. I want to learn from their life lessons and constantly improve. These questions were great guiding points in getting to know them better and engaging in conversations. It was good thinking about it like a parenting group retro.

1. What didn’t I do well while I was growing up that you wish I did?
2. What do you think I should be learning about now?
3. What would you do differently in parenting us?
4. If we were less frugal while we were growing up, how would we have spent the money? More trips? Experiences? Nicer furniture? Bigger house?
5. What do you want Evie to learn about in these early years? Specific habits? Specific care towards balanced diet and outdoor activities? Cleanliness?
6. If you passed on money to Evie, how would you want her to spend it?
7. What aspects of Chinese culture and ritual would you like Evie to learn and practice?
8. If you were to change your careers when you were in your 30s, what would you do today?
9. What do you think is your super power? Did it change over the years?
10. Who helped you in the past? How do you want to repay them?
11. What are your top priorities now that we’re all grown up?
12. What would you like to teach me now? Hobbies? Experience? Hygiene/Health? Intellectual subjects? Life hacks? Cooking recipes? Car care tips?
13. What’s your travel and activity bucket list? Hong Kong? Australia? Sky diving?
14. How do we best respect a living memory of both of you? Any specific Chinese rituals? Build a shrine at home? Should we wear certain jewelry? Donate in your name?
15. Just to check, where is your will and who is the executor?
16. Who would you want to meet again from your past?
17. Who do you currently want to meet? Celebrities? Industry figures? Musicians?
18. What were your favorite “collections”? Vinyl? Stamps? Would you want to rebuild them? Display them?
19. What were the biggest and most impactful decisions of your lives? Buying the house? Friends you let us hang out with? Investments?
20. What small decisions made big changes? What do we have to look out for now?
21. What was your most successful project (besides kids growing up and being self sufficient and functioning people in society)?
22. What project did you wish was more successful? Logistics business?
23. What was the most important thing you learned from being an entrepreneur? Do you recommend it?
24. Which friends did you most appreciate? Do we still keep in touch with them?
25. When you were my age, what were you worried about?
26. Did you or do you have a decision rubric for making family changes? Is it a discussion? Are certain areas left to the expert?
27. How did your taste in music change? What is your favorite song to play?
28. What were your favorite childhood and parenting memories?
29. What did you learn from your parents?
30. What do you wish you can ask them or learn from them?

~See Lemons Ask my Parents Questions