How have you captured your parents’ memories and stories?
Posted by Tom_Tower@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 7 comments
None of us are getting any younger and my parents are in their late 70s now. They are both good storytellers, in the sense that they could chat for hours about their experiences over the years.
I’ve been thinking about how to capture these stories before they get older.
One idea was to sit each of them down in a room with someone recording, and it’s just me and my mum or dad, and I’M prompting them with “Tell me about the time when…” or “Tell me about this person” etc.
The conversation should hopefully flow naturally and there should be a nice video that comes out of it that we can keep for decades to come.
How are you recording your family memories, and do you have any advice/tips?
Master-String7561@reddit
That’s a solid idea — the “sit down and prompt them” approach works really well if you keep it relaxed.
One thing I’ve found is it goes better when it doesn’t feel like an interview. Even just having a cup of tea or doing something like cooking together can make people open up more.
Specific prompts make a big difference too. Instead of big questions, try things like:
– what was your first job?
– what did your mum cook when you were a kid?
– who did you spend the most time with growing up?
Those tend to unlock much better stories than “tell me about your life”.
Also worth recording audio as a backup. Some people get a bit stiff on camera but will talk more freely if they forget it’s being recorded.
I used to half-listen when my mum repeated stories… now I wish I’d written them down.
For what it’s worth, I do some work around preserving family memories, and the stuff people end up valuing most isn’t the big milestones — it’s the small, everyday stories like that.
PlusKaleidoscope9@reddit
My dad was recently diagnosed with a debilitating disease. He’s still with us — but we don’t have a lot of time before the stories start slipping away.
It hit me hard that while we’ve taken photos and celebrated holidays together… we’ve never actually captured his voice telling the stories behind those memories. Not in a way we can listen back to one day, when we’ll want it most.
That’s why we built Lifes.co — a simple platform that helps you or your loved ones record your life stories through guided voice prompts.
It’s private, easy, and built for exactly this kind of moment.
We just launched early access, and we’re giving away 25 Premium Plans to the first people who sign up and record a story.
No writing. No camera. Just your voice. Just your story.
If your parent or grandparent is still with you — this might be one of the most meaningful gifts you’ll ever give yourself or your kids.
👉 https://lifes.co
If you could save just one story from someone you love — what would it be?
I’d love to hear what comes to mind. ❤️
sshiverandshake@reddit
I've thought for a long time about writing a biography on my Mum but was always unsure about how it might be received, whether I'd be writing it for myself / future generations or the wider public.
For context my Mum has lead a really interesting life. She studied Computer Science and Pure Maths in the 70s; she was one of just three girls, then one of two after one dropped out in the first year.
At the time she also studied AI and many of the things she learnt / researched are only just being implemented. Her first job was on a rig programming the drill bit and she always says "they say sailors swear, try working with stressed riggers". Supposedly, they were all gentleman though.
She's done every job in IT, from a lowly programmer to CIO of multinational organisation. In many ways she's the antithesis of every glass ceiling narrative. There are also loads of other things but I couldn't write it here without potentially revealing her identity.
AffectionateSouth826@reddit
your mum’s story is amazing!! such a trailblazer. we’re actually building a tool to help parents capture their stories in their own words/voice. and right now we’re looking for a few people to help us shape it from the ground up. basically design partners. would you be interested in helping us shape it?
sshiverandshake@reddit
Yes I would be!
DameKumquat@reddit
I've written down a bunch of anecdotes, but both would freeze if anyone pointed a videocamera or videoing phone at them! They're in their 80s so it's on my mind. I'd like to keep my dad's voice, but like my granddad's it's in my head.
It's hard enough getting photos of them. Managed a good one over Christmas.
I'd love my dad to write a book about his work around the world - he has this wonderful deadpan style and great humour - but he doesn't want to. Though he considered it after I gave him a book by someone in the same line of work only more junior.
AffectionateSouth826@reddit
1000%! we’re actually building a tool to help parents capture their stories in their own words/voice and turn it into a book. and right now we’re looking for a few people to help us shape it from the ground up. basically design partners. would you be interested in helping us shape it?