Getting To Know Your Father Figure On A Deeper Level

Father’s Day is coming around the bend once again! You may have read our 10 questions to ask your mom on mother’s day, and we wanted to share some questions to get to know your father figure on a deeper level. Though Father’s Day is typically gatekept for biological fathers, we at Skip the Small Talk want to expand the definition to any type of father or parental figure you want to honor: this could be a stepfather, an uncle, a grandfather, a family friend, an influential teacher or mentor - the list goes on. Feel free to ask these questions of your chosen father figure, or adapt them to fit the nature of your relationship.

Use any or all of these questions to dig a little deeper into the experiences of your father figure, both in their life before you and your life together. Some of these questions are specific to parents, so feel free to skip any of the below questions if they don’t feel right to you, or feel free to just use this list as inspiration. But as always, we’d encourage you to see if you can step outside of your comfort zone a bit and pose the question that asks for just a little more than you might be used to. See what the response is and what kind of connective moment might come out of it!

1. Did you always want kids? When did you start feeling like a father?

2. What is your favorite thing about being a parent?

3. What quality of yours are you most proud to see in me?

4. What was your biggest point of conflict with your parents? How did you work through it?

5. If you got to meet/spend time with your grandparents, what were they like?

6. When you were a kid, how did you imagine your life would look at this age? 

7. What is your favorite part of your day?

8. What are you most excited for as you age?

9. What were you most surprised to learn about me or my personality as I transitioned from childhood to adulthood?

10. What is a mistake you made in the past that’s stuck with you? What did you learn from that experience?

If you are grieving this Father’s Day (or Mother’s Day) season, you might find it helpful to check out Option B or our friends at The Dinner Party, or seek support from a licensed therapist. Please take care of yourself during these complex and difficult moments in our calendar.

Have a wonderful Father’s Day full of connection!

Did you ask your dad any of these questions this Father’s Day season? Did you learn anything that surprised or pleased you? Share your thoughts below!