[2024-06-07] Family history: youth

This is the fourth installment in my series about conducting a life history interview with an older family member or friend. The series is based on William Fletcher's book Recording Your Family History. Previous posts in the series provided an introduction to recording your family history, questions to ask the interviewee about their grandparents, parents, siblings and questions pertaining to their childhood (birth to 11 or 12 years of age). Today's post focuses on the interviewee's youth, which Fletcher defines as being from the onset of adolescence through the teenage years and into the early twenties.

I've been using the questions in the series during my daily calls with my mom. Often, one question leads to an entire conversation, one that is always informative and enjoyable. I take notes and frequently do additional research about subjects that came up on the call. The questions I put to my mom often trigger memories about her life in the 1940s and 1950s, which I find fascinating.

For his chapter on questions pertaining to youth, Fletcher makes this helpful suggestion:

The historical times in which your narrator grew up are as important as life cycle and personal events. Historical events have a tremendous influence, especially during a person's youth and young adulthood. It is very important to be aware of this and to ask about the currents of social, cultural, and historical change that influenced your narrator as a maturing young person.

In my mom's case, a significant cultural phenomenon was Elvis Presley. My mom was among the 9,000 fans who attended Elvis' concert in Ottawa on April 3, 1957. Imagine seeing Elvis in concert when you're just 18! We've chatted about this occasion several times.

On to the questions.

Becoming a teenager
  • Do you remember turning 13?
  • Did your family or friends do anything special when you became a teenager?
School
  • What do you remember about junior high, or your time in grades seven and eight?
  • What do you remember about high school? How large was the school?
  • Were you more of an athlete or a scholar?
  • What was the funniest or most remarkable thing that happened at school when you were a teenager?
  • Which teachers stick out in your mind and why?
  • Do you recall the nicknames of any of your teachers?
  • What was your favourite subject in school and why?
  • Do you recall any of the books that you read in high school?
  • What was the name of your high school sports teams? Did you go watch their games?
  • What were your high school colours, mascot, cheers, and/or school song?
Friends
  • Who were your best friends when you were a teenager?
  • How would you describe the people you hung out with?
  • What did you do with your friends for fun?
  • Did you or your friends ever play pranks?
  • Did you have a nickname in high school?
  • Were there any notable characters among your friends or school mates?
  • Have you stayed in touch with any friends you had as a teenager?
Graduation
  • When did you graduate from high school?
  • How did you feel when high school was over?
  • Do you remember anything about your graduation ceremony?
  • Can you describe the graduation party?
  • Did you go to your high school prom? If so, with whom did you go?
Fads and styles
  • How did teenagers dress when you were in school?
  • What did you look like as a teenager?
  • Describe what you would wear to high school on a typical day?
  • How did teenagers wear their hair when you were in school?
  • Can you recall slang or expressions that were popular when you were a teenager?
Heroes and idols
  • Who were some of your or your generation's heroes during your teenage years—people you admired or looked up to?
  • Did you especially like any singers, musicians, actors, artists or political figures, and why?
Leisure activities
  • Did you play sports in your youth—individually or as part of a team?
  • What were the most popular sports in your community when you were a teenager?
  • Did you listen to the radio and, if so, any particular program?
  • Did you go to the movies? If so, do you remember the first move you saw in a theatre or drive-in?
  • Did you have a television and, if so, what did you watch most often on it?
  • Did you participate in religious ceremonies as a teenager (e.g., go to church)?
  • If so, describe what it was like? When and where did it occur? Who went? What did you wear?
  • Did you or someone in your family sing and/or play music?
  • Did you like to dance? What were the names of some of the popular dances in your youth?
  • If you went to dances at your high school, was there a typical record played as the final song (e.g.,Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven")?
Jobs and chores
  • Describe your first paying job? How old were you?
  • Did you have a job when you were in high school? What was it? How many hours did you work per week?
  • When you were a teenager, what were your responsibilities at home?
  • Which chores did you like or dislike the most?
  • Did your parents give you an allowance or were you expected to earn your own money?
Dating
  • Where did young people go to meet up with other young people?
  • Do you remember your first date?
  • Whom was it with, where did you go, and what did you do?
  • Do you remember your first kiss?
  • Did you ever go on a blind date?
  • Describe your first romantic relationship? Whom was it with? How long did it last? How did it end?
Relationship with parents
  • What was the biggest trouble you got into as a teenager?
  • What was the biggest point of contention between you and your parents (e.g., differing opinions on appearance, friends, studying, dating, religion, school choices)?
  • Did your parents' attitude towards drugs, alcohol and smoking differ from yours?
  • Did your parents give you a hard time about your grades in school?
Post-secondary education
  • Did you continue your education after high school? If so, where? What did you study?
  • Why did you choose that course of study and that institution of higher learning?
  • How did you feel on your first day, month and year? What was the adjustment like?
  • Where did you live? What were your living arrangements?
  • How did you pay for your post-secondary education (e.g., savings, grants, bursaries, student loans, parental support, part-time job)?
  • Were you a good student?
  • Do you remember any professors who had a significant impact on you?
  • Did you enjoy this period of your life?
  • Who were your friends and what were they like?
  • Did you have an ongoing relationship with someone in college or university? Describe them.
  • What kind of music did you listen to? Was there an iconic band or album popular at this time?
Work and relationships
  • Did you start working full-time immediately after high school?
  • Was that a choice or out of necessity (e.g., insufficient funds for college or university)?
  • What was your first full-time job after high school?
  • How did you get the job?
  • How did you feel about the job, your boss and your coworkers?
  • When did you first get what you would call a place of your own? Describe it.
  • How did you get to work?
  • When did you get your first car?
  • What were some of your first purchases you made?
  • When did you figure out what you wanted to do for a career?
Fletcher included numerous questions on courtship and marriage in his section pertaining to youth, but I'll save those questions for a future post.