Questions · Childhood friend

Questions to ask a childhood friend about then and now

Questions for the friend who has known you longest: the games and places you share, the habits that never changed, who you’ve each turned into, and the time you spent apart.

  • 17 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
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Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 27

Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.

Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.

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A note

The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.

Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.

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The questions

17 questions to ask a childhood friend

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Remember when

6 questions

Start with what you both lived through.

  1. Back when you were a kid, what game or activity could keep you busy for hours?

    Nung bata ka, anong laro o activity ang kaya mong pagkaabalahan nang ilang oras?

    Back of the card

    Childhood focus has its own sweetness. It remembers a time when getting lost in play was enough.

    May sariling saya yung focus nung bata tayo. Naalala nito yung panahon na sapat na ang maglaro nang maglaro.

  2. Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.

    Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.

    Back of the card

    The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.

    Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.

  3. What detail do you notice first in an old photo with a friend?

    Anong detalye ang una mong napapansin sa lumang photo kasama ang friend?

    Back of the card

    No need to show it. Would you keep that detail in a photo taken today?

    Hindi kailangang ipakita. Gusto mo bang makita pa rin ang detalyeng iyon sa photo ngayon?

  4. Which toy would you want to make as tall as you?

    Anong laruan ang gusto mong maging kasingtangkad mo?

    Back of the card

    You can choose a toy you know or invent one. What would you do with it?

    Puwedeng laruan na kilala mo o sariling imbento. Ano ang gagawin mo rito?

  5. Tell us the funny memory your friends or family still bring up.

    Ikuwento yung funny memory na binabalikan pa rin ng friends o family mo.

    Back of the card

    Some stories become part of a group's archive. If people still bring it up, it probably earned its place.

    May stories na parte na ng group archive. Kapag binabalikan pa rin, malamang deserve niya yung spot.

  6. How did your first impression of a friend change once you got to know them?

    Anong first impression mo sa isang friend ang nagbago nang makilala mo sila?

    Back of the card

    You can finish: “I thought they were..., then I noticed...”

    Puwedeng ituloy: “Akala ko..., tapos napansin ko...”

What hasn’t changed

3 questions

The lines and habits you’d recognize anywhere.

  1. What line do your friends often hear you say?

    Anong linya ang madalas marinig ng friends mo sa'yo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine your usual line printed on a shirt.

    Isipin na naka-print sa shirt ang madalas mong sabihin.

  2. What harmless habit of a friend have you come to enjoy?

    Anong habit ng friend ang mas nagugustuhan mo habang tumatagal?

    Back of the card

    Was it something you liked immediately or grew to like?

    Nagustuhan mo ba agad o nasanay ka muna bago mo nagustuhan?

  3. Share the origin of an inside joke that is okay to explain.

    Ikuwento ang simula ng inside joke na okay lang ipaliwanag.

    Back of the card

    Tell only the part you have permission to share. The rest can stay an inside joke.

    Sabihin lang ang bahaging okay ibahagi. Puwedeng sa inyo na lang ang natitirang biro.

Who you are now

4 questions

The part reunions usually skip.

  1. If a friend said you have changed in a good way, what change would you hope they noticed?

    Kung sabihin ng friend mo na nagbago ka in a good way, anong change ang sana napansin nila?

    Back of the card

    The change you hope someone notices may point to what you have been quietly practicing.

    Yung change na sana mapansin nila baka yun yung tahimik mong pinapractice nitong season.

  2. Which version of your past self are you starting to understand more now?

    Aling version ng past self mo ang nagsisimula mong mas maintindihan ngayon?

    Back of the card

    Understanding your past self does not erase what happened. It can soften the way you hold the person you were.

    Hindi binubura ng understanding ang nangyari. Pero puwede nitong palambutin kung paano mo hinahawakan yung dating ikaw.

  3. Tell us about something you used to avoid that feels less scary now.

    Kuwento mo yung dati mong iniiwasan pero hindi na ganun ka-scary ngayon.

    Back of the card

    Less scary is still movement. You do not have to be fearless to know something has changed.

    Movement pa rin ang less scary. Hindi mo kailangang maging fearless para malaman na may nagbago.

  4. Tell us about a small thing you can do now that would have amazed you as a kid.

    Kuwento mo yung maliit na bagay na kaya mo na ngayon na maa-amaze ka kung bata ka pa.

    Back of the card

    Progress can look ordinary from the outside. But younger you might know exactly how big that ordinary thing is.

    Mukhang ordinaryo minsan ang progress. Pero baka alam ng batang ikaw kung gaano kalaki yung ordinaryong bagay na yan.

After the time apart

4 questions

For friends who drifted and found their way back.

  1. If you and a friend talk less often, what would you want to ask them?

    Kung bihira na kayong mag-usap ng friend, ano ang gusto mong itanong sa kanila?

    Back of the card

    Would you ask now or wait for a quieter time to talk?

    Itatanong mo ba ngayon o hihintayin mong mas tahimik ang oras ng usapan?

  2. Picture meeting an old friend after a few years. What would you want to do together first?

    Isipin na nagkita kayo ng dating friend makalipas ang ilang taon. Ano ang una mong gustong gawin ninyo?

    Back of the card

    You could begin with the most ordinary thing you used to do together.

    Puwedeng magsimula sa pinakasimpleng dati ninyong ginagawa nang magkasama.

  3. If you could tell your younger self one piece of good news, what would it be?

    Kung may isang good news kang masasabi sa batang ikaw, ano yun?

    Back of the card

    This is a gentle way to name progress. Not everything is fixed, but maybe there is something younger you would smile about.

    Gentle way ito para makita yung progress. Hindi man ayos lahat, baka may isang bagay na ikakangiti ng batang ikaw.

  4. If your old phone could save only one, would you keep the photos or the messages?

    Kung isa lang ang mase-save sa lumang phone mo, photos o messages ang ititira mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine giving the saved memories a title. No need to show any photos or messages.

    Isipin na bibigyan mo ng pamagat ang natirang mga alaala. Hindi kailangang magpakita ng photos o messages.

How to use them

Before you ask

A childhood friend is the one person who remembers who you were before you decided who to be. That’s the gift of the friendship and also its trap: it’s easy to spend every visit replaying the same three stories from fourth grade and never find out who your friend is now.

Use both halves. Start with memories, since that’s where you’re both comfortable: the game you played for hours, the detail you notice first in an old photo, the funny story the group still brings up. Then ask what reunions skip. What can they do now that would have amazed the kid you knew? Which past version of themselves are they starting to understand?

If you drifted for a while, say so. Asking what they’d want to ask you after all this time is less awkward than pretending no time has passed.

Good for

  • Hometown visits over the holidays
  • Reunions with old friends
  • Long calls with a friend from back home
  • Weddings where the old group is together again
  • Reconnecting after years apart

Tips

  1. Bring an old photo. It does half the work.
  2. For every “remember when,” ask one “what about now.”
  3. Don’t assume they’re still the person you knew; ask before you tease.
  4. Plan the next visit before you leave this one.

Decks for this

Childhood friend

Frequently asked questions

What should you ask a childhood friend?

Start with shared memories, like a game you played for hours or an old photo, then ask who they are now: what they can do that would have amazed their younger self, and what change they hope people notice in them.

How do you reconnect with a childhood friend?

Send a short message about a specific memory, suggest a call, and when you talk, ask about their life now as much as the past. Admitting you drifted is easier than ignoring it.

What do you talk about with an old friend you haven’t seen in years?

Shared memories to warm up, then what has changed for each of you, what has stayed the same, and what you’d like to do together next time.

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