Over the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing some ideas on writing letters to your children for a future date. The first week, we discussed why it was important to share these stories with your children. Last week, we talked about the best ways to write these stories and store them so they wouldn’t get lost or damaged over time. Today, I want to give you some ideas and prompts for what you can write about– it’s easy to say that you will or want to write letters to your child, and choosing a format is pretty easy, too, but it’s a lot harder to come up with ideas when you do sit down to write. Here are some prompts to get you started.

Topic 1: All about your past

1. What was your life like when you were a child?

2. Describe your home as a child, or your homes. Where did you live? What did you like about it? Did you move around? Stay in one place?

3. Did you enjoy school? What was your favorite subject? Your worst subject?

4. What was your favorite grade in school? What teacher did you love the most or dislike the most? Why?

5. What memories from your childhood do you have? Any specific stories about siblings, parents, grandparents, or your own life that are memorable?

6. What were your parents like? Describe them– physically, emotionally, mentally. Paint a picture of life with your parents.

7. Did you know your grandparents? If you did, what was your interaction with them like? Did they tell you any stories about their childhood? If you didn’t, what do you know about them?

8. What was the most significant thing that you did with your parents when you were young?

9. What is your worst memory in childhood? How did it make you feel?

10. What hobbies and activities did you participate in during childhood? Were there certain sports you played or games you liked?

11. What religious background do you come from? What was your experience with that like?

12. Who were your childhood friends? What lessons did you learn from childhood friendships?

13. What were your biggest fears as a child? Have you ever overcome them? Do you know what caused them? What helped you to feel better when you were afraid?

14. What was your favorite Christmas or birthday gift as a child? Had you been asking for it for ages or was it a surprise?

15. What was your birthday like as a child? Do any specific celebrations or parties stand out in your memory?

16. Talk about your family traditions. Did you have simple ones like everyone eating dinner together, or grand ones like specific holiday traditions that were a must each year?

17. What kind of music did you listen to when you were young? Your favorite songs and artists growing up? Specific songs that were popular when you were young? Songs that evoke particular memories, and what memories you have with them?

18. What did your room look like when you were young? Did you share it? Did you have it to yourself? How was it decorated?

19. What were family vacations like? Did you take them regularly? Sporadically? Did you do staycations?

20. What is something significant that you learned from your childhood that you’d like your child to know? 

Topic 2: All about your present. 

21. What was your adult life like? When did you first feel like you really became an adult? What was the hardest part of getting to adulthood (either the struggle on the way to becoming an adult, or the struggle once you became one?)

22. What’s your favorite thing about being an adult? Your favorite part of your life now?

23. What’s the hardest thing about growing up and being an adult? The weirdest responsibility you have? The thing you most wish you didn’t have to do?

24. What significant relationships did you have? What did you learn from them? Was your child’s parent your only significant relationship? Was it not a significant relationship? What did you learn about life from these relationships? What did you learn about yourself from them?

25. What was finding out you were pregnant? Was it a surprise? Was it planned?

26. What was your pregnancy like? Did you have morning sickness? Any significant or funny or scary stories about pregnancy and childbirth?

27. What is your favorite part of being a parent? What’s the hardest thing about being a parent?

28. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you achieve that goal? Are you happy with what you’re doing, whether or not you achieved the goal? If you didn’t become what you wanted to be, what do you think your life might have been like had you done it?

29. Did you have any significant thing from your childhood or early adulthood that might have changed the course of your life (a move that almost happened, the other school you got accepted to, a boyfriend that didn’t work out?) How do you think it changed who you are today? What do you hope was the same from your life now? What do you think might be different?

30. Who do you most admire now? Is there anyone that stands out as a role model for the person you are, the parent you are, the spouse you are?

31. What are your favorite songs now? Your favorite shows? Any specific movies you enjoy watching?

32. What is your biggest fear now? How do you cope with that fear?

33. What family traditions do you have now that you’re an adult? Are they similar to ones you had as a child? If you’re married, what traditions have you adopted from your spouse’s childhood?

34. What was your wedding like, if you’re married? What was the best part of that celebration?

35. What’s the most significant thing that you’ve learned from life so far?

Topic 3: All about your child

36. Was your child a good sleeper as a baby? Not a sleeper? What was the sleep like in those early days?

37. What kind of temperament did your child have? What was their favorite way to be soothed?

38. What’s the weirdest thing your child did as a baby? Any significant stories that stand out?

39. What was your favorite thing about parenting a baby? The hardest thing?

40. What was your child’s first birthday like? Who was there? What was the theme? Do you have any photographs of the celebration?

41. What were the toddler years like? Were they challenging? Exciting? Was your child a terrible two? A terrible three? Neither? Both?

42. Were there any weird quirks your child had? Any shows or songs that your child loved or hated?

43. (Repeat the questions above for various stages of life– childhood, middle school, the teen years, early adulthood)

44. What was school like for your child? Any significant memories your child might not remember themselves? Anything you see from a parent perspective that your child might only be seeing from their own perspective?

45. What are your favorite activities to do with your child? Your favorite ways to spend time together?

46. What do you want your child to know about how you feel about them during these moments?

47. What are your biggest hopes for your child? Your biggest fears? Your favorite dreams?

48. What is your child’s favorite toy? Do they have a stuffed animal they must keep with them? Where did they get it? When did they get it? What started the attachment?

49. Does your child have any specific fears? How do they cope? How do you help them cope? Do their fears match any of your childhood fears?

50. What was the most rewarding thing about parenting your child?

Topic 4: All about the family

51. What stories does your spouse have or do you have about your spouse’s family? You might encourage your spouse to share these stories himself, in his own words.

52. How does your child interact with his siblings? Do they get along? Do they have sibling rivalry?

53. What do you hope your child learns from his siblings? What do you hope his siblings learn from him?

54. Does your child have any significant cousin relationships? Uncles? Aunts? What is your child’s relationship with these family members? Do they do anything fun or significant together?

55. What is your family story like? Do you have any famous family members? Family members who were historically important? What information do you have on your family tree or when your family got to where they are now?

56. What is the best thing about your family? Do you have anything that sticks out as a specific trait of your family?

57. What illnesses or problems run in your family? How have they impacted your lives?

58. Does your family have a motto? A crest? A family verse?

59. What family recipes are important to you? Do you have recipes or food-related memories from your childhood? Recipes that are current family favorites?

60. If you could tell your child one thing about your family that you felt was the most important thing he should know about it, what would it be and why?

Topic 5: All about faith.

61. What do you believe? What are the formative, founding principles of your belief system?

62. Why do you believe what you believe? Defend it.

63. What are the biggest challenges you’ve had in your beliefs? What is hardest for you to wrap your head around?

64. Have you always believed what you believe? Were you raised in that belief system? Have you strayed and returned to it? Were you raised in a different belief system and changed to this one?

65. How have you expressed your faith (for example, were you baptised? Did you experience a bar mitzvah?)

66. What are your favorite faith traditions?

67. What important verses or parts of your faith text do you rely on? Do you have any that stand out as important to specific times in your life, or verses that have helped you through a tough time?

68. Where do you attend worship services? What is that like? Is this similar to how you’ve always worshipped or are you attending someplace differently than you did when you were young?

69. Who has been a big faith mentor in your life? Did you have a pastor or youth minister, a specific friend in the faith, etc who made you who you are today or somehow shaped your faith?

70. Do you have any specific hopes and dreams relating to your child’s faith? What do you hope for them?

 

 

Are there any questions that you would add? Share them in the comments below!