If you want to see how fast life goes by – have kids. Jeez, it has been three years since my daughter Maggie was born! Also get a reminder from my domain registrar as I bought her domain on the day of her birth (yes, I’m a geek!).
Been wondering what the best way to document my child’s progress. Documenting is the foundation of growth – plus I am a “pack rat” of data and memories (as you can see in this blog).
What are some core items we should track in a child’s development. I can’t really put a tick of her height on the door frame every year – we have been moving too much (although I do hope to move less the next five to ten years). It needs to be something portable and easy to carry.
Sure, it can be a digital thing. We have been using 23snaps which I am so happy to have come across. We are posting as many photos and updates there as possible for our family to see online. You can read more about it and my writeup of how I use 23snaps here.
My Parents Have Massive Amounts of Photo Albums
My mom always puts out photo albums on each of our birthdays. Even when I’m on the other side of the world – my dad will email me a photo of the albums sitting on the kitchen table. It is also a great idea, and a reminder for us as a parent (maybe the parents like it more than the kids!).
Yet in today’s digital age, a bulky photo album is hard for our mobile family to adopt. Yet digital format is so sloppy as they are mixed in with other parts of life and business. 23snaps has been a good answer for the photo part – but while a photos is worth a thousand words – it doesn’t really explain the situation and the feeling and the “hard numbers” of growth.
Using A Simple Notebook
Then the idea came….
Maybe Something as Simple as a Notebook.
Funny thing is I am researching a lot online and people, like me, still prefer writing things down.
Here is what I would want to track:
* Height
* Weight
* Favorite class / topic (see if it changes)
* What you want to be when you grow up (see if it changes)
* Favorite food
* Milestone (flexible / open ended)
Those are what come to mind. Also maybe a parent’s note section so we can document some of the core milestones and changes in life. And just keep it stacked up with the passports and other family documents.
Would be an amazing little notebook for sure!
How Would You Document Your Child’s Development? Or Have You?
I’d love to hear other parent’s tips and ideas on how they are documenting their children’s growth! Let’s “grow” together.
Onwards,
Mike