Questions to ask your parents before it’s too late
We all have a limited time with our parents, which is why it’s very important to make the most out of it. The problem is that it can be very difficult to narrow down what questions we should ask our parents, and sometimes we don’t realize the important questions until it’s too late. Which is why we created a list with some questions everyone should consider asking their parents soon!
Why did you choose your particular career and not something else?
Learning from your parents about their career and choices is extremely important. For starters, it gives you an insight into their thought processes and how they approached this type of idea. On top of that, you get to see if you already have that kind of motivation or not. Learning from this kind of stuff is very helpful, and it can indeed make a huge difference in the long run. Ask your parents about their success, but also about their failures. This can be a great learning experience.
What was the most difficult thing you had to endure during your life?
This will help you better prepare for your own challenges. Your parents are filled with knowledge and they had many experiences, some of which are unpleasant. Talking with them about stuff like this is very handy, and it will make it easy for you to prepare yourself. It’s important to ask for details, especially regarding the way all those challenges were overcome in the long run.
Do you have a will?
It’s important to respect your parent’s wishes, so you want to ask if there’s a will in place or not. A will is actually very important because you get to see how you need to split all the valuables and items accumulated by your parents. This will also help settle any estate-related disputes, since everything is in writing.
What do you think about choosing a hospice?
Some parents are ok with the idea of going to a hospice, but some are not. This is definitely not the type of decision you can answer right away. It requires a lot of talking and planning. But it’s something very important and it might actually be the ideal pick in some cases.
Do you have any specific funeral service preference?
Some parents are ok with cremation, but many are against it. In some cases, they just want a simple burial. Which makes you wonder, what do your parents prefer? Knowing these things is very important, since you ensure their wishes are handled appropriately and without any issues.
What kind of medical interventions are you ok with if you can’t make decisions?
This is also known as a living will; when your parents need to undergo a medical intervention but they can’t make decisions there has to be someone to make the decision for them. But you still want to know, are they ok with blood transfusions, resuscitation or any other treatments that might save their life? Some people are fully against this type of stuff, so it’s important to ask them these kinds of questions.
Are you ok with donating any organs?
The truth is that there’s no age limit when it comes to being an organ donor. In fact, many older persons manage to help young people and have even saved their lives via donating organs. It’s important to talk with your parents and see if they are ok with donating organs or not. Again, this is a very personal situation, in some cases your parents will be ok, other times less so.
Can you tell me where you keep your important paperwork?
It’s important to prepare for a situation when your parents are unable to handle any financial tasks. When that happens, it’s crucial to know where they keep all their paperwork, tax info, pension, shares, savings accounts, bank info and the like. Knowing all these things is extremely important, so it’s a crucial question to ask your parents.
Who do you want to handle any of your internet activity and digital files?
Nowadays, all of us leave behind a digital legacy. It’s imperative to outline how that digital legacy gets handled. You want to show who will manage that legacy and how all email and online accounts will be handled. Your parents should be able to decide what accounts are closed, which ones are transferred to someone else and so on. Having clear instructions regarding such a task is a great idea.
Do you want to have a power of attorney in place?
The power of attorney is sometimes necessary as it makes it easy for a person to make decisions on behalf of a parent. This is a document that names which individual will make decisions and handle transactions, who will handle the estate and so on. Every power of attorney document can be fully customized based on your parent’s wishes.
What message are you looking to share with your family?
Some parents leave various things and ideas up to the last minute. The truth is that it can be very difficult to share some truths or ideas they encounter, so it makes sense to them to leave this stuff for the last minute. It’s a good idea to respect their wishes, but you also want to ask such questions and see if they do have any last words that need to be shared, otherwise they would never see the light of day.
Were you ever scared to be a parent? How did you overcome that fear?
Every parent sees this as a challenge, especially in the beginning. But it can also end up as something downright incredible and exciting. That’s why you want to know how your parents tackled such a challenge, what issues they encountered and how they managed to overcome them. It’s stuff like this that can help you learn and also improve your own behavior.
Needless to say, there are a lot of things you could ask your parents. But at the same time, you also want to appreciate and respect their legacy as well. Which is why it can be a great idea to create an online obituary which appreciates the legacy of your loved ones. You can submit an obituary at LifeMemory.com and show your true love and respect towards your family members that have passed away!