Love and Friendship

Essay Question:

For your informant, what is most necessary for a good marriage or a long-lasting friendship? Has that changed over time?

To support your argument, get some family stories about love and friendship. The following questions should elicit family stories that will be useful to you. Composing your own questions might be even more successful, especially if you base those questions on your knowledge of your family chronology and history.

• What is the secret to a happy marriage?
• How did you meet your spouse?
• When you were my age, what were your ideas about and experience with the opposite sex?
• What was the best date you ever had?
• Do you think you could have married someone else instead? How would your life be different?
• Was your marriage like your parents' marriage?
• How did you and your spouse decide how to divide up the chores and responsibilities for taking care of the house, clothes, yard, children, etc?
• What was the best day of your marriage so far?
• Did your marriage turn out the way you expected it to? Is that good or bad?
• Has there been much divorce in your family? Why or why not?
  
  
• At what ages have you had a "best friend"? What were/are your best friends like?
• What is the best day you've ever spent with a friend?
• Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? Have you ever betrayed a friend?
• Is it better to have a lot of casual friendships, or a few best friends, or is it better to depend only on yourself or your family?
• Do your children or grandchildren treat friendship differently than you do?
• How can someone keep a friend for life?