352 Family Relationship Questions to Ask People (Storytelling)

Ask people these 352 family relationship questions for storytelling.

I have interviewed hundreds of people about their family relationships. Based on the answers I received in those interviews, I have put together a list of writing prompts and questions to ask people when writing narratives. The family relationships series includes thirteen categories that range from the experience of birth and adoption to relationships with family and grandparents. Use these prompts and questions to help you

• Identify events and memories you can write about
• Organize and write your narrative and story
• Develop questions to ask other people about their life’s
• Organize, research and write stories about others
• Know what type of information to include in narratives and stories
• Identify memorabilia, artifacts, photos, documents to include in stories
• Develop ideas for journaling, story starters, poetry, memoirs, and more

Writing Prompts and Questions About Family Relationships

The “Family Relationships” writing prompts and questions to ask people are part of a 28 article, 108 category series entitled “7,500-plus Questions About Life to Ask People When Writing Narratives.” The prompts and questions are provided to help you look at family relationships from as many angles as possible when writing narratives about yourself, your family, and others. The categories and types of topics covered include:

• Birth of Children. Find 58 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of childbirth for an individual and family.

• Adoption of Children. Find 44 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover the thoughts, feelings, and experience of adoption for an individual and family.

• Single Child. Find 16 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover your thoughts, feelings, and experience of being a single child.

• Siblings. Find 44 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of living with siblings.

• Twins. Find 18 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of being part of twins.

• Triplets. Find 14 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of being part of triplets.

• Step Brothers and Sisters. Find 14 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of having step brothers and sisters.

• Half Brothers and Sisters. Find 9 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of having half brothers and sisters.

• Adopted. Find 11 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of being adopted.

• Living with Family. Find 34 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of living as part of a family with parents and siblings.

• Divorced Parents. Find 22 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of living in a family where there was a divorce.

• Grandparents. Find 38prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of living with and visiting grandparents.

• Pets in Family. Find 30 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover thoughts, feelings, and experiences of living with and having a pet.

Approach each topic from the point of view of the person/lives you are writing about. You don’t have to ask every question. Review the questions and determine which ones are most appropriate to ask. I would encourage you to modify and add questions as you desire.

I have prepared a couple of other resources that will provide value in interviewing for and writing individual, personal, and family narratives: “Complete Guide for Conducting Oral History Interviews” and “Complete Guide to Writing A Personal Narrative.”

Birth of Children

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Birth of Children” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. When and how did she find out you were pregnant?
   • Were you in the doctor’s office? Home? Parents? Other?
2. Did you suspect that you were pregnant, or was it a surprise?
3. What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant?
   • Were you excited? Concerned? Unsure? Explain.
4. Did you want to have a child? Explain.
5. What were your feelings about being pregnant?
6. If you were planning to have a baby, for how long you had been trying to get pregnant?
7. Were there any difficulties in getting pregnant?
8. Did you ever consider adoption?
9. How many children did you plan to have?
10. How many children did you have?
    • Did the number of siblings that you had growing up influence this?
11. Who did you share that you were expecting a baby with others?
    • How did you share what you were expecting with others? Announcement gathering? On on one? Other? Explain.
    • What their reaction?
12. How did you celebrate the event?
13. Did you have a career, stay-at-home mother with other children, or were you in school at the time?
14. Did pregnancy change your plans or goals? If yes, how?
15. Were you single or married at the time?
16. How old were you?
17. Was your family excited? Why or why not?
18. Did you feel as if you could depend on your family for support?
19. Did your family try to coach you on how to care for a child?
20. Did you have any problems during your pregnancy, or was your pregnancy healthy?
21. Some say that being pregnant is an important time of life. What are were your thoughts?
    • Was this true for you?
22. Were you hoping for a boy or girl? Why?
23. Did you learn of the baby’s gender before its birth?
24. Did you wonder what the baby would look like?
25. Did you have a name picked out for your baby before it was delivered?
26. What did you look forward to most about this baby?
27. When was your baby’s first kick? How did this make you feel?
28. Did you look forward to bringing the baby home?
29. Did you feel like you would deliver on time? Why or why not?
30. Where were you when you went into labor?
    • How did you feel? Were you frantic? Elated?
    • Was the baby born on schedule, or was it premature? If so, how early was it? What size was the baby?
31. Had your partner been helpful during the pregnancy?
32. What did this person do to make your pregnancy easier?
33. How did your partner react when you went into labor?
34. How many hours were you in labor?
    • Did someone assist you during the birth? A midwife or nurse? Your Partner?
35. Were you sedated during the birth?
36. Did you give birth at home or in a hospital?
37. If you were planning to give birth in a hospital, did you make it there on time?
38. How was your baby delivered?
    • Through a C-section or naturally?
39. Did your labor run smoothly, or were there complications?
    • How Did you feel afterward?
40. What was it like bringing your baby home for the first time?
    • Was it enjoyable to have a small, new addition to the family?
    • How much did the baby weigh?
    • How long was it?
    • What did it look like?
    • Did it sleep a lot or cry a lot when it first came home?
    • Was it a good baby?

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Adoption of Children

Family Relationship Questions and Writing Prompts

“Adoption of Children” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. When did you decide that you wanted to adopt?
2. What was the story behind your desire to adopt?
3. What options did you have for adoption? Such as foster child care, adoption agency, domestic/foreign agencies.
   • What can you share about each option?
   • Why did you choose the direction you went for adoption?
4. What process did you need to go through for adoption?
   • What were the pros and cons of the process?
   • What criteria did you have to meet to be granted the adoption?
5. Where do you want a baby, young child, teenager to adopt?
6. Were you hoping for a boy or girl? Why?
7. How long did the process take?
   • Was there ever a time when you became concerned about the adoption?
8. When did you learn that you would be able to adopt?
   • What were your feelings?
   • How did you share that you would finally be able to adopt the child? On on one? Other? Explain.
   • What their reaction?
9. How did you celebrate the event?
10. Were you single or married at the time?
11. How old were you?
12. Was your family excited? Why or why not?
13. Did you feel as if you could depend on your family for support?
14. Did your family try to coach you on how to care for a child?
15. If the child was a baby, did you have a name picked out for the child?
16. Did the child have other brothers and sisters?
17. What was the story behind the child being put up for adoption?
18. What was the experience like when you first saw the child? Explain.
19. What was the experience like bringing the child home?
20. How did you prepare for bringing the child to your home?
21. If the child was not a baby, how did the child react to your home?
    • What were the first days, weeks, and months like for the child?
    • How many experiences did you have together?
    • What type of adjustments needed to be made by you and your child?
    • How long before the child felt like they were part of your family?
22. Did you have other children before the adoption of the child?
    • If yes, how many?
    • What was the experience like for the children?
    • What experiences would you like to share?
23. What there anything unexpected about adoption?
24. When you look back on the adoption, what would you say about the experience? Pros and Cons.
25. How many children did you adopt?
26. When did you tell the child that they were adopted?
    • What did you say?
    • How did the child respond?
27. What other thoughts would you like to share?

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Single Child

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Single Child” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. Did you wish you had a brother or sister?
   • If yes, why?
2. Would you have wanted a younger or older sibling?
3. Did you ever ask your parents why they chose to have or only had one child?
   • Did you agree with their decision to have one child? Explain your thoughts.
   • If they didn’t choose, what were the determining circumstances?
4. As an only child, were you close to a particular friend, parent, or another relative?
   • Tell me about each relationship? Who were they?
   • What did you do for fun?
   • What did you like to talk about?
5. What was it like growing up as a single child?
   • Were you ever lonesome?
   • What do you feel are the advantages and disadvantages of being an only child?
   • How did it affect your personality?
   • How do you think being a single child was different than having other siblings? Pros and cons.

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Siblings

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Siblings” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. How many children were in your family?
   • How many boys?
   • How many girls?
2. What did you do with your siblings?
3. Did you play together when they were young?
4. Did you talk about friends, school, or other matters as they grew up?
5. Did you have to share a room with any of your brothers or sisters? If so, what was it like?
6. Did you enjoy having the company, or did it seem like you never had any privacy?
7. Did you fight with your brothers or sisters?
   • If yes, what did they fight about? Attention? Friends? Chores? Clothes?
8. What did your parents do when they fought?
9. Was there ever any teasing among you and your siblings?
   • Did any of the teasing continue throughout their lives?
10. Was there one brother or sister you always felt you could count on?
    • Someone you could always talk to?
    • Were they there when you needed protection?
    • Did you think of this person as a friend or guardian?
    • Where were your fondest memories?
11. What would you consider to be the best part about having brothers and sisters?
    • What was the worst part of having brothers and sisters?
12. Did you go to school together with your brothers and sisters?
13. How many years apart were in age?
14. Did you do things with your brothers and sisters’ friends? If so, did it ever cause grounds for conflict? What was it? Whom with?
15. Did you ever go on a date with a friend of your brother or sister?
    • If so, how did they feel about it?
    • Did it cause problems between you? If yes, what kind of trouble? How did it all turn out?
16. Did the baby of the family have more freedom than other siblings?
    • Who was the baby of the family?
    • Did you always seem to get blamed when something terrible happened?
    • Did you ever try to blame things on one of your siblings? What do you remember?
    • Were your parents good about letting everyone tell their side of the story?
17. Were you and your siblings often asked to watch each other?
    • What happened during these times?
    • Was anyone bossy?
    • Could you do anything you wanted?
18. Did you look up to one of your siblings with admiration?
    • Did you want to be just like them?
    • Did you turn out with similar or opposite personalities?
19. Did you feel your parents favored one of the children more than the others, or were everyone treated equally?
20. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be an only child?
    • Did you ever wish you was/were?
    • Why or why not?
21. If you were a middle child, did it seem like you were always too young but not old enough?

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Twins

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Twins” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. Did you have twins, or were you a twin?
   • Was it a brother or sister?
   • Were they identical?
   • What was your twin’s name?
2. If you had a twin, did they ever play the switching game?
   • Whom did they try to convince?
   • Did they succeed?
   • Did they do this often?
3. As a twin, did you ever feel like they were competing with one another?
4. How were they alike? How were they different in life? For example, compare them in sports, musical talents, academics, friends, and character?
5. If you had other siblings, were you closer to your twin or other siblings?
6. What do you consider the pros and cons of being a twin?
7. What are some of your most memorable experiences as a twin?
8. What are some of your painful experiences as a twin?
9. How did your parents treat you as twins?
10. What else would you like to say about being twins?

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Triplets

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Triplets” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. Did you have triplets, or were you part of triplets?
   • Were siblings male or female?
   • What were the triplets’ names?
2. Did you feel like they are competing or best friends?
3. How were they alike? How were they different in life? For example, compare them in sports, musical talents, academics, friends, and character?
4. If you had other siblings, were you closer to your triplets?
5. Did they act and share possessions like best friends, or did they fight and compete over everything?
6. If you had other siblings, were you closer to your twin or other siblings?
7. What do you consider the pros and cons of being a triplet?
8. What are some of your most memorable experiences as a triplet?
9. What are some of your painful experiences as a triplet?
10. How did your parents treat you as triplets?
11. What else would you like to say about being triplets?

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Step Brothers and Sisters

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Step Brothers and Sisters” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. What were the circumstances under which you became step-brothers and sisters?
   • When did you first meet?
   • Describe the experience?
   • What were your thoughts about the experience?
   • Were you excited, upset, or scared?
2. Was it hard to adjust to having new siblings?
3. What did you or your parents do to make the transition easier?
4. Were you glad to have new siblings?
5. Did you get the brother or sister that you always wanted?
6. Did you consider everyone part of one family, or was someone looked upon as an outsider?
   • Did this change as time went on?
7. Did you feel like anyone was favored over you or vice versa?
   • Express your memories and feelings?

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Half Brothers and Sisters

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Half Brothers and Sisters” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. What were the circumstances under which you had half-brothers and sisters?
   • Did they have the same mother or father?
2. Did you feel like an outsider, or were they like one family?
   • If you had other full siblings, were you closer to them than to the half-siblings?
   • Were/were you glad to have new siblings?
3. Did you get the brother or sister that you always wanted?
4. Did you live with your mother, father, or both? What were your feelings about the situation?

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Adopted

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Adopted” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. Did you live in an orphanage or foster home, or were you adopted from birth?
   • If you were adopted when you were older, what was the transition period like the new family?
2. If there were other children in the family, did you feel like you were treated differently?
3. Were you the only adopted child?
4. Did you always know you were adopted, or did you find out later in your life?
   • How did it feel when you found out about your adoption?
5. Did you ever try to find your birth parents?
   • Did your adoptive parents oppose this?
   • What happened?

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Living with Family

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Living with Family” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. How did you get along with your parents?
   • Did you spend a lot of time with them while growing up?
   • Why or why not?
2. What was unique about your relationship with your parents?
   • Were you close to them?
   • Did you feel that you had the best parents?
   • What did you and your parents disagree about? House rules? Curfews?
3. What did you do with your parents?
   • Did they have family outings?
   • Did they spend evenings together?
4. Did you talk to your parents much?
   • What did you like to talk about?
   • Could you discuss anything with them?
5. After you had grown up, what were your favorite memory about you parents?
6. What influence did your parents have on you?
   • What did they teach you?
7. Did you have any ongoing family problems?
   • What were they?
   • Did it bring you closer to your family or push the family apart?
   • Were the problems ever resolved?
8. Did you get a chance to spend a lot of time with your grandparents when growing up?
   • Did you see one set more often than the other? Why?
   • Describe your relationship with them?
9. What did you do with your grandparents when you were with them?
   • Were they younger and active when you knew them, or did they just spend quiet time together?
10. After you had grown up, what was your favorite memory about your grandparents?
11. Was there a particular relative in your family that you got along with well?
    • Maybe an aunt or cousin?
    • Why was that person special to you?
    • How often did you see them?

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Divorced Parents

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Divorced Parents” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. How old were you when they divorced?
2. Did you understand what was happening?
3. Did you blame the problems on yourself?
4. Was the divorce unexpected or a surprise?
5. Had they fought beforehand?
6. Did they ever get along well?
7. Did you know why they were divorcing?
8. Did you have to decide who you wanted to live, or was one of them given custody?
   • If you had siblings, did they all live with the same parent?
9. Did you see the other parent very often after the divorce?
10. Did you miss having the whole family together after the divorce?
    • What did you miss the most?
11. Was there any reason why you were glad they were divorced?
12. Did you ever think or hope that your parents would get back together?
13. Did you try to do anything that would make them fall in love again?
    • What was it?
    14. Did your parents ever remarry?
    • If so, how old were you?
14. How did you feel about having a new parent or new siblings?
    • Did you resent the new family members?
15. Did the fact that your parents were divorced make you shy of marrying when you were older?
    • Did it affect you emotionally in other ways?

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Grandparents

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Grandparents” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. Did you spend a lot of time with your grandparents when you were growing up?
   • Did you see one set more often than the other?
   • Why?
   • What kind of relationship did you have with your grandparents?
2. What did you do with your grandparents?
   • Were they still reasonably young and active when you knew them, or did they spend quiet times together?
3. After you had grown up, what was your favorite memory about your grandparents?
4. How did you get along with your grandparents?
   • Did you spend a lot of time with them while growing up?
   • Why or why not?
5. What was unique about your relationship with your grandparents?
   • Were/were you close to them?
   • Did you feel that you had the best grandparents?
6. Did you stay with your grandparents for an extended period?
   • Why?
   • Describe the experience?
7. Did your grandparents raise you?
   • At what age did you go to live with them?
   • Why?
   • Describe the experience?
   • What do you remember most
   • Were your parents living or deceased?
   • If living, did you get the chance to see them?
   • What was the experience like?
8. Did you talk to your grandparents much?
   • Could you discuss anything with them?
9. What influence did your grandparents have on you?
   • What did they teach you?
10. Did you have any ongoing family problems in which your grandparents were involved?
    • What were they?
    • Did it bring (you/him/her) closer to your family or push the family apart?
    • Were the problems ever resolved?
11. Was there a particular relative in your family that you got along with well?
    • Maybe an aunt or cousin?
    • Why was that person special to you?
    • How often did you see them?

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Pets in Family

Writing Prompts and Questions about Family Relationships

“Pets in Family” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about Family Relationships. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.

1. What type of animals did you have as a pet?
   • Did the pet have a name?
   • How did the pet get its name?
   • What did the pet look like?
2. How did you get the pet?
   • Did someone give the animal to you as a gift?
   • Did you catch the animal?
3. How old were you when you spent time with the pet?
4. How old was the animal at the time it became a pet?
   • What kind of activities did you do together? Such as take walks, cuddle, go on rides, or just play?
   • Did you teach the animal to do tricks?
5. Why did this animal mean to you? Explain.
6. Did you nurse the pet through an illness?
7. Was it your pet all of the animal’s life?
8. Did you take care of the animal, or did someone else?
   • Who?
   • Was the pet easy to take care of?
9. How often did you see this animal?
10. Did owning a pet teach you about responsibility?
11. Was there something the animal would do that would make you laugh?
    • What was it?
12. Did the animal die?
    • If so, at what age did you experience this loss, and how did you feel about that?
    • What was the cause of death?
    • If the pet died, what did you do with the animal afterward? Was there a funeral?
    • Did you take it to the humane society?
    • Did you try to replace the pet if the animal died or became lost?
    • Did it help the healing process?
    • Was the new pet a constant reminder of the lost pet?
    • Did the loss or death of the pet help prepare you for the death of a human friend or relative in later years?

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