Have you ever wondered about the great stories that exist in the minds of your older family members? Why not get those stories out of their minds to the rest of the family – and do it before their memory becomes too challenging to capture them.
Credit for this idea comes from Michelle Woo who recently wrote a story for Lifehacker.com about her own experience doing this a few years ago with her grandmother, Annie.
Woo, an experienced editor and writer, included some suggestions from her experience that could make this possible for anyone to do.
First, if you have more than one older relative from which to choose, pick the one who likes telling stories the most.
Here are some other essential tips to make your endeavor a success.
You may want to prepare some questions before you start but leave plenty of time for your story teller to tell his or her story. Some suggested questions include: who was the most important person in your life, the happiest moment, the saddest moment, your earliest memory or favorite memory.
You should also consider recording the conversation and find a quiet, comfortable place to do it.
The results could be wonderful for you, the older family member and everyone else.