Sit Down With Your Dad and Interview Him…You Might Be Surprised.

It's a simple idea: set up your phone or camera, sit your dad down, hit record, and just talk. Not about politics or sports or what’s for dinner — but about him. His life. His childhood. His memories of his own dad. How he met your mom. The struggles, the joys, the whole messy beautiful ride.

Honestly, I wish I had done this, but, my own Dad passed away long before I was mature enough to grasp how meaningful and important this could be..

I’ve been “Radio Dad” for a while now — always talking about parenting, the crazy ride of raising kids, being present, being real. But something clicked in me recently: one of the best things a Dad could give his kids… is a deeper understanding of where the whole family came from. And that means sitting down with dad, camera on, and asking questions you've never asked before.  I did this on an audio recording, with my Mom a couple of years before she died and I still cherish that interview.  I even learned some things that I NEVER knew, and it makes me nostalgic and I wish I had done it with my Dad.

You don't need a fancy set-up. Just a phone on a tripod, a quiet corner of the living room, and a couple of cups of coffee. Tell him you want to hear about his life — really hear it. He might looked at you like you're a little nuts, maybe suspicious that you're doing this for a podcast episode or something.   But once you get started… the stories will flow.

He might tell you about the neighborhood he grew up in — where kids rode bikes without helmets, played baseball in the street, and only came home when the streetlights buzzed on.  Ask him to describe his dad — your grandfather.   I think my dad would have remembered the smell of the garage, the way his dad whistled when he worked on the farm. That stuff?  Or, maybe he would have talked about his Dad in a way he never opened up about....anger?  Emotional distance?  No matter what comes out...that’s gold.

I know several stories of how my folks met, from my Mom's point of view.  But, I wish I could have had a video of my Dad, his smile, creases in his forehead as he talks about working on a construction crew in the South and meeting Mom in a diner.  How they struggled in those early years, counting every penny, figuring it out together.

An interview with your Dad is a chance for him to talk about loss. About mistakes. About moments of grace. And about being a father himself — learning, like all of us, as he went.

I think what would strike me the most wouldn't just be the stories, but the man. The pauses. The emotions just under the surface. The way he lit up remembering old friends. The way his voice dropped when he talked about losing his dad or experiences in WWII.  The pride when he talked about us kids — even if he didn't say it directly.

I loved my Dad and I know he loved me...even if he didn't say it...he SHOWED it.  I wish I had thought about interviewing him all those years ago.   How often we assume we know our parents because, well, they’re our parents. But there’s so much more beneath the surface. Whole lives lived before we ever came along.

And here’s the thing — getting it on video? It means your kids, his grandkids, could see it too. Not just the stories, but his face, his voice, his laugh. That’s something no family tree or dusty photo album can give you.

If you’ve never done it — I highly recommend sitting your dad down and just talking. Record it if you can. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Doesn’t need fancy gear. Just be present. Ask the questions. Let him wander.

Ask about:

You might be surprised at what comes out. You might laugh. You might cry. And I guarantee you’ll walk away with something priceless.

Let me know if you try it — or if you already have. I’d love to hear your stories, too.

Mike Austin — The Radio Dad