[2024-05-27] Family history: childhood
This is the third installment in my series about Recording your family history based on a book of the same name. Last week, I shared questions to use while conducting a life history interview, with a focus on family history. This week the questions centre on the childhood of the person being interviewed. Fletcher defines childhood as birth to 11 or 12 years old. As I did last week, I've added some of my own questions to the ones I selected from William Fletcher's book.
Fletcher prefaces his questions pertaining to childhood with this advice:
Part of what you want to do in this interview is to help your speaker build a picture of the world in which his or her formative years were spent. For older people, the world they grew up in was a very different place from what it is now. Childhood entertainment, family values, education, travel, medicine and many other aspects of life have changed tremendously. This interview helps evoke a picture of that childhood world.
Fletcher recommends starting each session with a follow-up from the previous discussion. In this case, you could begin by asking: "Since we talked last, did you remember anything else about your grandparents, parents or siblings that we didn't cover previously?"
Babyhood
- What is your earliest memory, in other words, the earliest thing you remember?
- How old were you then and where were you?
- Where were you born?
- Do you remember any stories you were told about your birth or when you were a baby?
- Do you know how you got your name? Were you named after someone in your family?
- Do you remember when any of your siblings were born?
- If so, how did you feel about having a new baby in the house?
- Were you involved in caring for your siblings? Did any of your siblings help care for you?
- Would you say that you and your siblings were close as children?
Home
- Describe the house you grew up in.
- How did it change over the years, for example, was it remodeled according to the fashion of the day?
- What things bring back memories of your childhood (e.g., foods, smells, sounds, songs)?
Parenting
- As a child, were you closer to your mother or your father?
- How did your parents discipline you?
- Were you raised in a particular religion? How was religion viewed in your household?
- How much time did your parents spend with you when you were a child?
- Did your parents tell you bedtime stories? Can you remember any of them?
- Did the Tooth Fairy visit your house?
- Is there something your parents said frequently?
Neighbourhood
- Describe the neighbourhood you grew up in.
- What were some of the significant local places in the neighbourhood (e.g., schools, parks, vacant lots, corner store, community halls)?
- What do you remember about your neighbours?
- Do you remember any of the games you played or things you did with your neighbours?
- Did you stay in touch with any childhood neighbours or do you know what happened to any of them later in life?
- Were there any memorable characters in your neighbourhood?
Schooling
- What's your earliest memory about school? Can you remember your first day at school?
- What was the name of your elementary school and where was it?
- Were you especially good at any particular subject? Did your talent in that subject stay with you throughout your life?
- Do any of your elementary school teachers stick out in your mind? If so, why? In what ways did they influence you?
- What, if any, awards did you win in elementary school?
Childhood
- How would you describe yourself as a child?
- How have other people described you as a youngster?
- What are some of your favourite memories of childhood?
- What were you called when you were younger and how did you feel about it?
- Were you good at sports?
- What games did you play as a child and with whom did you play them?
- Did you have a special place where you went to be alone as a child?
- What chores did you have as a child?
- Can you describe your first time left at home alone?
- What were your ambitions as a child? What did you want to be when you grew up?
- Who had the most positive influence on you?
Health
- What are your childhood memories of doctors, dentists, optometrists and other healthcare professionals?
- Did you experience any serious illnesses or injuries during your childhood? What happened? How did it turn out?
- Did your parents use home remedies when you were young?
Holidays and Celebrations
- What were the most notable holiday celebrations when you were a kid? Does one stick out in your mind?
- How was Thanksgiving observed at your house?
- Did you dress up to go trick or treating on Halloween? Did you pull any pranks at Halloween?
- How would you celebrate the holidays (e.g., Christmas)? What were the traditions in your home?
- Did you parents make any special food for the holidays?
- What was the most memorable gift you received?
- What was New Year's Eve like at your house?
- Were there other holidays that your family celebrated or traditions that came from your ancestors?
- How were birthdays observed in your family?
Family Vacations
- Did your family take family vacations? If so, what do you remember of them?
- If not, what things did you do in the summer as a kid?
- What is your best memory from family vacations or summer holidays?
- Who was the relative you most enjoyed visiting or receiving a visit from?
Culture and Context
- What significant historic events took place while you were in elementary school?
- What kinds of books did you have to read as a child? Do you remember the first book you read?
- What kind of music did your family listen to or play when you were growing up?
- Was anyone in your family good at playing music and/or singing?
- Did you play a musical instrument?
- Did you ever take music lessons?
- Were you or anyone in the family good at dancing?
- What were your favourite TV shows as a kid?
Pets
- Did your family have any pets?
- If so, which one sticks out in your memory the most? Describe them.
You can conclude the conversation by asking whether any other important childhood memories haven't been mentioned.
