One day, they'll climb onto the sofa next to you and ask:
"What was I like when I was little?"
Maybe they'll be seven and curious.
Maybe they'll be fifteen and trying to work out who they are.
Maybe they'll be thirty, with a little one of their own, asking because they suddenly want to know.
And when they ask, I want you to have more than a shrug and a "you were lovely."
The details feel unforgettable. Until they aren't.
Right now, you know everything about them.
What makes them giggle until they can't breathe.
The song they want on repeat in the car.
Their best friend's name. Their big dream. The word they always say wrong.
It feels impossible that you could ever forget any of it.
But childhood moves fast. Each year quietly replaces the last.
The favourite toy is swapped for a new one. The funny sayings stop. The dream of being a dinosaur doctor becomes something else entirely.
And unless someone writes it down, those details slip away. I wrote about this in The Little Things They Say That You'll Never Forget... Until You Do, and it's still the thing parents tell me they wish they'd known sooner.
Why children want to know what they were like
Children love hearing stories about themselves.
The time they fell asleep in their dinner. The first thing they said when they met their baby sister. The year they insisted on wearing wellies everywhere.
Those stories do something important.
They tell a child that they were noticed. That someone was paying attention. That the small, everyday version of them mattered enough to be remembered.
As they get older, those stories help them make sense of who they've become. The quiet one who turned into a performer. The rock collector who became a scientist. The child who always wanted to help.
Their story is part of who they are. Keeping a record of it is one of the kindest things we can do for them.
What to write down so you have the answer
You don't need to record everything. A snapshot of who they are each year is enough.
These are the things parents most often wish they'd kept:
- Their favourites: food, book, film, song, toy, colour and best friend
- The funny things they say: mispronunciations, questions and brilliant bits of logic
- Their measurements: height and shoe size, so you can see how much they've grown
- Their handprint or drawing: tiny hands at one, a self-portrait at six
- What they want to be when they grow up: it changes every year, and that's the joy of it
- Their own words: once they're old enough, let them answer for themselves
Do this once a year and, without even trying, you'll have built a record of their whole childhood.
A simple way to capture who they are, every year from 1 to 16
This is exactly why I created The Book of You.
It's a childhood memory book that you fill in once a year, every year, from age one to sixteen.
Each year has its own pages. There's a stats page for height, shoe size and favourite things. There's a "make your mark" page for handprints and, later, drawings. And there are prompts for grown-ups to record the funny sayings and special moments of that year.
From around age three, children start answering their own questions too. So the book becomes their story, told from both sides.
At sixteen, it ends with a note to their future self.
A few pages, one conversation, once a year. That's all it takes.
It isn't another thing for the to-do list. (I wrote more about that in Childhood Doesn't Need Something Else Added to the To-Do List.) It's simple to fill in, precious to look back on, and memory-making for them done.
Start with the year you're in
If your child is already four, or eight, or twelve, please don't think you've missed your chance.
You haven't.
Start with who they are right now, and keep going. There's a whole story still to come. (If you need convincing, read It's Never Too Late to Start Capturing Their Story.)
And if they're still a baby, The Baby Book of You captures their very first year, month by month, ready to hand over to The Book of You when they turn one.
For a grandparent or special grown-up who wants to share their own childhood too, The Book of Me & You is a journal to fill in together.
Questions parents ask
What age should I start a childhood memory book?
Any age. The Book of You begins at age one, but many families start later and simply begin with the year they're in.
How long does it take to fill in each year?
As long as you like. A few minutes is enough, and many families make it part of the birthday each year. It works best as a small yearly tradition rather than a big project.
What if I miss a year?
Pick it up the next year. It's a record of their childhood, not a test. Every year you capture is a year they'll be able to look back on.
Is it a good gift?
Yes. The Book of You won Gold for Best Baby/Pre-Schooler Book at the Junior Design Awards, and it's a lovely first birthday or new baby gift that gets more precious every year it's kept.
So when they ask…
One day, they'll ask what they were like when they were little.
And you'll be able to open the book and show them.
In their own handwriting. In your words. Year by year.
Because one day, the story of their childhood will be one of their greatest treasures.