How to Interview your Mother and get an answer besides Yes or No
Quick tips into conducting a fruitful conversation
Mama is normally a direct person, who answers questions with a Yes or a No. In this interview, my brother Don (Pepot) and I nudge her to say more. We talk about her childhood in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, her education, and her profession as a CPA.
Her mother, my grandmother Alejandra Vergara, was sharp into her old age. Mama celebrated her eightieth birthday in 2022 and still demonstrates the same strong memory. I hope I will be like them.
Imelda Vergara Lasam - Roots and Shoots
"Patience is the keynote to success."
Recorded in September 2022. Originally published in StoryCorps (42:57 minutes)
Click here to listen to the StoryCorps interview:
Roots and Shoots - Interviewing Mama
L-R: My grandmother Lola Andang, Mama, Lolo Abdon, and the school principal
How to interview your parents:
Be prepared. Give them questions in advance so that your interviewee can think ahead.
Listen actively. Listen to the answer and ask an appropriate follow-up question.
Record the interview. Trust me, you may think you have a great memory, but it’s easy to get distracted.
Stay on topic. Steer it back on course when it wanders off.
Make it a conversation, not an interrogation. Use your initial questions as an outline, not a list to check off.
Treasure the experience of sharing memories.
Share your interview.
I recorded mine using my iPhone and edited the track using Audacity. I uploaded it to StoryCorps, which preserves all interviews at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Listen to my other StoryCorps interviews