How to Interview Your Grandparents Most people wait too long to ask their grandparents the questions that matter. Not out of neglect. Out of assumption — the quiet belief that there will always be another visit, another holiday, another chance to ask "what was it really like?" There usually isn't. And the questions people wish they'd asked are almost always the same ones: not about historical events, but about what daily life actually felt like. ――― Why a casual chat isn't the same as an interview Grandparents get asked "how are you" and "how's everything" constantly. Those questions produce polite, practiced answers. An actual interview — even an informal one, even just fifteen minutes with a phone recording in the middle of the table — produces something different, because it signals: this conversation matters, and I want to remember it. Step 1: Ask for permission and explain why "I want to record this so I don't lose it" is usually enough. Most grandparents are moved, not bothered, by being asked. Step 2: Start with something concrete, not abstract "Tell me about your childhood" is too big a question to answer well. "What did your house smell like when you woke up?" has an actual answer, and that answer leads somewhere. Step 3: Let silences sit The best answers often come after a pause, not immediately. Don't rush to fill the quiet — let them think. Step 4: Ask about the ordinary, not just the historical What they ate for breakfast. What their commute looked like. What they worried about that never made it into any family story. These are the details that vanish first and matter most. Step 5: Follow up instead of moving on If they mention something briefly and move past it, go back. "Wait — tell me more about that." That's usually where the real story is. Step 6: Do it more than once A single interview captures a mood. Several, spread over months, capture a person. Nobody remembers everything in one sitting. ――― From Homeriah You're not trying to write a biography. You're trying to make sure that someday, someone can hear their grandparent's actual voice answering a real question. ――― Memory Prompt Call or visit a grandparent this week. Ask one question you've never asked before — something ordinary, not historical. Record the answer if you can.