do this: interview your parents

One of my favorite blogs is the lovely A Cup of Jo. I’ve been reading for years and am still in awe of the great posts Joanna creates day after day.

One sweet idea that she wrote about was to interview your parents. Immediately, I was intrigued by the concept. Since I moved to California about two years ago I miss my parents tremendously and the older I get the more curious I am about my parents before they were parents. What were their hopes and dreams? What were their first jobs? I couldn’t wait to dive in and ask them these questions.

Since my parents had tickets to come visit me, I decided to bring her post to life by talking with them about some of these things. I had wanted to ask more specific questions but we ended up chatting a lot about our family history, which was equally fascinating. Today, is an appropriate day to post this because it is also my parents 32nd wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary you two!

My parents met during their first year of college but they didn’t start dating till a few years later. They both began their studies in the same field — law — though only my mom got her degree in Poland (my dad changed directions when we got to America.)

My dad wanted to become a prosecutor to “catch all the bad guys.” He loved school and calls himself the “eternal student” but he didn’t get his degree till we moved to America, where he became an RN, total change from the prosecutor plans! If money was no object, they said they’d go on a vacation but then would love to return to Poland to the city where my dad grew up, to open a medical center for sick children.

I also learned the back story of why we ended up coming to America. My grandma who was already here signed us up for the visa lottery and after 10 years on the list, our name was finally drawn. It was written on a total whim and no one really thought we’d get picked. Eventually, my parents made the very brave decision to pack up their 4 children and move to the U.S. Whenever I’m having a tough day or feel uninspired, I think about how hard it must have been for them and remind myself how lucky I am they made that eventful decision. My parents are definitely my role models and I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done for our family. Love you guys!

Thank you Joanna for the wonderful idea. I highly recommend this activity, it’s so fun since now as an adult you can talk with your parents as a friend. It’s amazing the fascinating things you can find out.