What to write
What to write in your child's memory book at age 13
Thirteen marks the start of the teenage years, and change comes fast. Friendships, identity and interests shift month to month. Ask lightly, listen more, and record what you can — they won't remember this version of themselves.
Questions to answer this year
- What matters to them most at thirteen?
- Who's had the biggest influence on them this year?
- When do you see the adult they're becoming?
- What are they good at that they don't realise yet?
- What have they said that you wrote down straight away?
- What freedom have they had for the first time?
Milestones and moments to look out for
- Turning thirteen, and how they marked it
- The music, style or slang of the moment
- A friendship that's become really important
- Something they care about deeply — a cause, a sport, an art
- Their first job or way of earning money
- A moment of real kindness you noticed
- A family joke that's still going
Every child moves at their own pace — these are ideas for what to notice, not a checklist.
Things they might say
“That's so cringe.” (about everything we do)
“I'm not hungry.” (eats three sandwiches)
“You can come to the match, just don't shout.”
Save this year's memories with the whole family
Sign up free and invite grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to add what they see — typed or spoken.
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