Topics to talk to Mom to bring you closer to her

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25 Questions to Bring You Closer to Your Mom

(Sunday’s New York Times)

 

From Tom: Yes, we had something similar in last week’s Tim and Tom Prep, but THESE are from Sunday’s New York Times.

 

• Who made you feel seen when you were growing up? — Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering”

 

• What major event or realization shaped who you are? — Roni Cohen-Sandler, clinical psychologist and author of “Anything But My Phone, Mom!”

 

• Of all the living people you’re no longer in touch with, who is the person with whom you were the closest? Why aren’t you in touch anymore? — Eli J. Finkel, professor of social psychology at Northwestern University

 

• When did you realize you were a grown-up? — Prentis Hemphill, therapist and author of “What It Takes to Heal”

 

• When you were a kid, what did you find exciting about the prospect of getting older? — Eli J. Finkel

 

• Who was your closest friend when I was a baby? — Jaimie Arona Krems, associate professor of psychology at U.C.L.A.

 

• What’s something you swore you’d never do as a parent but did anyway? — Priya Parker

 

• What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received about motherhood? — Jessica A. Stern, assistant professor of psychological science at Pomona College

 

• What’s a phrase that has kept you afloat during hard times? — Prentis Hemphill

 

• What do you love most about being a mother now? — Karen Fingerman, professor of human development and family sciences at U.T. Austin

 

• Thinking back over the past few decades, what advice do you have for me as I grow to be your age? — Laurence Steinberg, author of “You and Your Adult Child”

 

• What are some of your favorite memories of the two of us? — Dr. Sue Varma, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at N.Y.U.

 

• Was there a specific moment in my life that you didn’t know how to handle? What did you end up doing? — Priya Parker

 

• What is something you’ve learned about yourself in the last six months? — Dr. Vicki Jackson, chief of palliative care and geriatric medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital

 

• What is one thing we must do together and start planning for now? — Dr. Sue Varma

 

• Can you tell me about a difficult emotion you’ve been dealing with lately? — Dr. Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital

 

• Is there anything you do that seems mundane on the surface but has turned out to be sacred for you? — Prentis Hemphill

 

• What’s something you still haven’t figured out? What are you still wondering about? — Dr. Vicki Jackson

 

• How can we spend meaningful time together? — Erin Engle, psychologist with New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center

 

• Did you have any nicknames when you were younger that I don’t know about? What’s the story behind them? — Erin Engle

 

• What was your favorite outfit growing up, and why? — Priya Parker

 

• If our family created a time capsule and you had to choose one item to include for future descendants, what would that item be, and why? — Dr. Judith Joseph, author of “High Functioning”

 

• What are some of the most memorable songs in your life, and what do they mean to you? — Alison Wood Brooks, professor at the Harvard Business School and author of “Talk”

 

• If you could redo any period in your life, what would it be, and why? — Anthony Chambers, psychologist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University

 

• What is your favorite compliment to receive, and why? — Alexandra Solomon, therapist and author of “Love Every Day”

 

Link:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/09/well/mothers-day-questions.html