mother interview questions

• What has been the hardest period of motherhood for you and how did you deal with it? …
• What is your favorite go-to mom recipe that’s easy for a busy mom with a big family? …
• What is your best advice to moms of little kids? …
• What is your best advice for moms during the tough teenage years?

I had the opportunity to interview a single parent and wanted to share my questions (and their touching answers) in this article.

There are over 13 million single parents in the United States who have to face the challenges of raising a child alone. Some of these parents receive partial help from an ex, a family member, or government assistance. In other cases, a single parent may receive no help at all.

We all know how difficult and expensive it can be to raise a child. We know of the sacrifices one has to make in order to keep children happy, healthy, and supported. Most of us know of a single parent or two who have to face these daily challenges alone.

MOTHERS DAY JOB INTERVIEW

Find Out More About Your Mother’s Life

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re bringing you a list of questions to ask your mother, grandmother, aunt, or any other mothering figure in your life. These questions are designed spark meaningful conversations you’ll appreciate for years to come. There’s no need to make it a formal affair. You can save this list and re-visit it from time to time, using the prompts in conversations over an extended period of time. Alternatively, you could use a service like Storii, which is an online life story platform that makes it easy for you or your loved one to document their life story in a Q & A format.Â

We’re only children for a very short period of time. Therefore, we know our mothers as adults for the vast majority of our lifetime. While the role of a mother can be a significant one, she had a whole life before you were born and after you left home. Have you ever taken the time to ask her about her life story experiences or gotten to know more about her outside her role as your mother? There are bound to be memories and stories she’s never shared that you will enjoy discovering!Â

Please define motherhood in your own words.

Being a mother means loving your child. It’s learning your child’s love language and understanding how they need to be loved.

[There is no truer statement than that! Our children need to feel loved and learning their love language will make communicating with them so much easier.]

More Questions to Ask Single Parents

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Maree on September 09, 2018:

Ive been a single mum in australia for 10 years. mycson is now 11..its been really tough finacially and emotionally. I was in a very dark place 8 yrs ago, im better now but still vunerable to depression when i dont have enough relaxation and fun im my life. Im working fulltime at the moment as a Personal Assistant. Im finding the work very challenging in terms of amount of work to complete every day &pressure from boss to manage my time & do more and in the wknds im just doing all the chores and only spending a little quality time with my son. Im really not sure if working ft is right for me. I pay much more in childcare my son is alone more or with older ladies who arent much fun which he doesnt like, yes i have more $ but im also having to pay others for things i cant do because im working or just too exhausted, im beginning to realise wking ft is not ideal because we are both stressed and exhausted. Im thinking if i could work say 9-4 x 4-5 days p/w that might be better….& take some days off for special schl events etc.what have others found gives them the best work/life balance? Maree

Gianandrea Maoli from South Carolina on October 27, 2012:

Ive done a couple of stories about single mothers and their struggles. What Ive read about in this interview is not anything that surprises me, sad to say. However, I have a strong admiration for them because despite all odds, they dont give up hope and still do what needs to be done to care for their children. The fact that this woman is willing to burn holes in her shoes just to make sure her child has everything she needs before the mother takes care of herself: that is the kind of love you cannot fake! Its real, heartfelt, and inspiring. Thank you for posting this!

TNSabrina on October 04, 2012:

I was once a single mother at 19 years old making around $150.00 per week, which was about 12 years ago. I got child support for about 3 weeks out of my son’s 14 years of living. I had no family to support me, but I did have a special angel who helped with babysitting so I could work.

I know the struggles single mothers go through. Even now when I think of those days, I can remember feeling scared about not having the money for shelter, food, and clothing. I am in a better place now and my son has blossomed, but I will never forget our struggles together.

From Our Partners

A year and a half ago, my mom, my sister and I met up for dinner at a cozy Italian restaurant in New York City with two of my aunts and my aunt’s longtime best friend.

Over a couple glasses of wine, my mom, her two older sisters and our family friend ― who all lived, worked and partied in Manhattan in the 1980s ― spent the evening reminiscing about their apartments, jobs, relationships and other escapades at the time.Advertisement

I learned a couple of things about my mom that night ― for example, in her early 20s, she dated a very wealthy man in another state who used to fly her back and forth on his private plane ― that I’d somehow never known or ever thought to ask about. It was another reminder that before she was my mom, she was a person with her own life and set of experiences that had nothing to do with me or my siblings.

Over the years, you might slowly pick up bits and pieces of your mom’s life story, little breadcrumbs she drops here and there. But for many kids, myself included, the focus has almost always been on us ― not our parents ― since the day we were born.

Below is a list of things you may not have asked your mom, but should. The answers to these questions will help you know her more deeply and hopefully give you a better sense of her past, her life experiences and who she really is.

Here are 38 conversation-starting questions to ask your mom right now:

1. What’s one of your earliest memories?

2. What’s the most trouble you’ve ever gotten in?

3. What was your relationship with your own parents like?

4. What’s something you always wanted to do but didn’t ― and why didn’t you?

5. Was there something your parents did when you were a kid that you swore you’d never do yourself?

6. How many serious relationships were you in before you settled down (if you did)? What were they like?Advertisement

7. What was your hardest breakup like?

8. Growing up, what did you think you wanted to do for a living?

9. How have your notions of what it means to be a woman changed over your lifetime?

10. (If she worked): What was it like being a working mom at that time? Would you do it all over again? What would you change?

11. (If she didn’t work): What was it like being a stay-at-home mom at that time? Would you do it all over again? What would you change?

12. When did you lose your virginity and to whom?

13. Who were/are your role models? Who did you look up to when you were younger? Who do you look up to now?

14. What’s the best trip you’ve ever taken?

15. Who was your best friend growing up? Who is your best friend now?

16. Have you ever had an abortion?

17. Is there a moment or event that radically changed the way you saw the world?

18. Have you ever done something really impulsive? How did it go?

19. What was the moment I hurt you the most when I was growing up?

20. What was the moment I frustrated you most when I was growing up?

21. (If she got married): When did you know that you were ready to get married?

22. When did you know you were ready to have kids?

23. What do I need to know about our family’s medical history that could affect my health or life?

24. What was the day I was born (or adopted) like?

25. (If she got married): What was your wedding day like?

26. What’s the worst fight you ever had with my dad?

27. What’s your favorite photo of yourself? Of our family?

28. What was the first year of motherhood like for you?

29. What do you want or wish most for your kids?

30. What do you want your funeral to be like?

31. What was life like for you at my age?

32. What were some of your biggest struggles or insecurities in high school?

33. Were you ever sexually harassed or sexually assaulted?

34. Do you have any health issues you’ve never told me about?

35. What would your perfect day be like? Describe it.

36. What’s the one song or album that means the most to you?

37. Is the present year anything like you imagined it would be when you were growing up?

38. What advice would you give to your younger self at age 20? 30? 40?

FAQ

What are some juicy questions to ask your mom?

1. Were there any similarities between me and you as a child?
2. Did you have a best friend when you were a kid? …
3. What’s your favorite memory of us?
4. What were you like as a kid?
5. When were you proudest of me?
6. What’s a time that you felt worried or afraid for me?

What are 3 roles of the mother?

What is important role of mother in our life?

• A manager for the family. …
• Being a teacher for her children. …
• World’s best chef. …
• Household nurse. …
• Financial controller.