18th birthday gift

An 18th birthday gift from everyone who brought them this far

For their first birthday as an adult

At eighteen, a lot of them are about to leave: for university, for work, for somewhere new. A book of memories goes with them: what the family remembers of the small child, what friends would write if asked properly, what the people who taught them saw. Each piece carries the name of the person who wrote it.

Parents, grandparents or a group of friends can make it together. One of you sets it up, and everyone adds.

What to ask people for

• What they were like when you first knew them
• A story from school they’d rather forget
• What you’ve watched them become
• What you’d want them to take with them when they leave home

Eighteen years, in chapters

The book starts with chapters made for an eighteenth: The little years, School years, Friends, Family, Sport and hobbies, Holidays, and Now. Rename any of them, take out what doesn’t fit, and add the ones only your family would think of: the exams, the first car, the places they’re heading next.

How it works

You set the book up in a few minutes and share one link with your family. People write a memory, record one if they’d rather talk, and add photographs. Nobody needs an account. If a grandparent won’t go near a link, you can add their memory for them.

The book lays itself out as a first draft, chapter by chapter, with each person’s name beside their words. You move things, take things out and choose the cover, and nothing is printed until you approve it. The board is private unless you open it, so it can stay a surprise. More on how it works

Help with the speech

If you’re the one standing up to say a few words, we can help you get started. Using only the contributions in the book, we’ll pull together the stories, memories and lines worth including into a first draft. You’ll see whose words each part came from, and you can change as much or as little as you like.