For families

You know Grandma.

But do you know what she was like at 17?

Seriously.

You can know someone your entire life and still know very little about the life they had before you.

That is what AfterLyfe helps with.

Vintage black-and-white portrait of a young woman

Imagine this is Grandma

Before she was Grandma.

What did she want to be?
Who was her best friend?
Did she get in trouble?
What was her first job?
What was her mom like?
When did she meet Grandpa?
What scared her when she became a mother?
What did she have to give up?
What is she most proud of?

Who tells the best stories in your family?

You already know who came to mind.

How many of those stories have actually been recorded?

Don't start with....

"Sit down. I need your entire life story."

She is probably going to look at you like you're crazy.

Instead, ask genuine questions

"What were you like when you were my age?"
"What was your mom like?"
"What was your first job?"
"How did you meet Grandpa?"

Now you're having a conversation.

See Questions to Ask
Vintage portrait used as an example of a family photo with a story behind it

The photo gives you the moment.

Grandma gives you the story.

The pictures you already have

You probably have tons of pictures and videos already.

Good. Keep them.

But let's say you have a picture of Grandma at 22.

Who is standing next to her?
Where are they?
Was she dating Grandpa yet?
Why did she keep this picture?

Only Grandma knows.

The picture is better once you know the story.

And the same goes for old videos

Maybe you have Grandpa laughing at Christmas. But what was Christmas like when he was a kid? Who used to cook? What family tradition disappeared? Who is missing from the table now?

That is the stuff you can ask about.

Think about what made it to you

How much do you know about your own grandparents?

Now think about your kids. Or your future kids.

Make sure your grandkids know you better than you knew your grandparents.

That applies to Mom too. And Grandma. And you.

1

Their grandparents

Stories they heard from people you may never have met.

2

Your parent or grandparent

The person who can still tell you what happened.

3

You

The stories you are learning now, plus the ones from your own life.

4

Your kids and grandkids

The people who should not have to guess.

Facts are only the beginning

Do not just ask what happened.

Ask why.

What you already know

Dad moved to Texas.

What you may not know

Was he running from something?Going after something?Did he know anybody there?Was he scared?Did he almost change his mind?

Don't just preserve what your family doesn't know. Get the context and reasoning behind those pivotal decisions.

The conversation keeps going

You will think of more questions later.

That's fine. That is actually normal.

Three days later

Mom's answer makes you think of another question.

Your sister hears it

She wants to know something completely different.

Next year

Somebody finds an old picture and another story comes back.

AfterLyfe is built for that.

And yes

You can record your story too.

You show up thinking:

"I need Mom to do this."

Then halfway through:

"Wait. My kids don't know any of this stuff about me either."

Exactly. You can both do it.

Start with something you actually want to know.

One good question can bring back a story your family has never heard.

Realizing you should record yours too? See how to record your own story.