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Chapter 5 of 10

Milestones & firsts

The firsts — and the lasts you only notice afterwards.

  1. № 01 · ages 0-2

    What was it like when they took their first steps?

  2. № 02 · ages 0-2

    When did they first sleep through the night?

  3. № 03 · ages 0-5

    When did you first feel like you were talking to them as a real person, not just a baby?

  4. № 04 · ages 2-12

    Tell the story of their first day of school — each school, if there's been more than one.

  5. № 05 · ages 5-8

    Tell the story of them learning to read — and the first book they read alone.

  6. № 06 · ages 5-8

    What was losing the first tooth like?

  7. № 07 · ages 2-8

    Tell the story of learning to ride a bike, swim, or some other physical milestone.

  8. № 08 · ages 2-8

    What was the first time they did something completely independently?

  9. № 09 · ages 2-8

    When did they first show you they understood what someone else was feeling?

  10. № 10 · ages 5-12

    Tell the story of the first sleepover.

  11. № 11 · ages 8-12

    When did they first go somewhere alone?

  12. № 12 · ages 8-12

    What was their first phone, watch, or front-door key — and what changed?

  13. № 13 · ages 8-12

    What was the first money they earned, and what did they do with it?

  14. № 14

    What was the birthday that felt like the biggest leap?

  15. № 15

    When did they first push back against you — assert their own view, their own will?

  16. № 16

    What was the first time they surprised you with something they'd learned?

  17. № 17

    What's a recent achievement you want them to know you noticed?

  18. № 18

    What milestones have surprised you by feeling bigger than you expected?

  19. № 19

    What's a 'last' you noticed — or only realised afterwards?

  20. № 20 · ages 8-12

    What does independence look like for them this year?