1. Why did you decide to have a child/children? How did you think having children would affect your life? Did you think about this?
2. Describe your knowledge and/or experiences with children prior to becoming a parent. Did you prepare for parenting? If so, how did you prepare?
3. How and where did you learn about pregnancy and childbirth? Were your expectations and knowledge of the prenatal and birth period accurate? Unexpected experiences? Describe the period briefly.
4. When did you first leave your child in someone else’s care? Who was it? What were the circumstances?
5. Did you use childcare during your child’s first years? Why or why not? Please describe.
6. Do you live near your extended family? What kind of experiences has your child had with grand parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins? How important has it been for you and/or your child?
7. Have you experienced single parenting? Describe its effect on you and your child.
8. Have you been part of a blended or reconstituted family through divorce and remarriage? Describe the experience and relationships.
9. How has being a parent affected your relationship with your spouse or parent of your child?
10. How has parenting affected your relationship with your parents and extended family?
11. What had been the most meaningful part of parenting for you? Most difficult?
12. What family traditions or rituals have you passed on to your children? (e.g. eating meals together, birthday celebrations)
13. What values have you tried to teach your children or will you try to teach your children as they grow up? (e.g. moral, religious, cultural)