One of my favourite pastimes as a child was watch old VHS tapes back of my time as a toddler.
It was fascinating and I remember being captivated by my younger self in the clips – the one of my ice cream blowing off its cone on Blackpool beach had me in bits every time.
So when I came across Hope Chambers’ video interview with her three-year-old son, I stopped – and I smiled.
The 32-year-old, who’s based in Amsterdam, has made it her mission to film a birthday interview with her children each year as they grow up.
“I’m one of those people who is painfully nostalgic so I love to document life so I can look back on memories,” the mum-of-two told HuffPost UK.
“I thought of this idea before I even had kids because it was something I wish I had of my own life to look back on!”
The brand marketing consultant has two children and recently shared a video of her eldest son Nico on his third birthday.
“Sometimes I can do anything that they can set their minds to,” announced the three-year-old in the heart-melting clip. “That’s how the world works!”
Hope said she’s always been keen to document the small moments in her son’s life. “I didn’t want to forget the sound of his voice or the quirky little expressions he had,” she admitted.
So, marking the passing of his childhood with a birthday interview each year is a way for her to look back on these moments with joy and reflection, while also being a very sweet way for Nico to see himself and where he came from.
“I envision giving him these videos on his 18th birthday and sobbing my eyes out as we watch it together,” the mum added.
If you want to try this for yourself, Hope has shared some of the questions she asks (although she notes these will evolve as her children age):
- What’s your name and how old are you?
- Where do you live?
- What do you do for fun?
- What are you really good at?
- Tell me about your friends and who you like to hang out with?
- Tell me about your family.
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
Responding to that last question, Nico declares: “I want to be a vampire when I wake up!”
Hope said the annual birthday interviews are important to her, because “I want my children going into adulthood with a strong awareness of who they’ve been since a young age”.
“Even at three years old, I can see so much about who my son is, and I want him to be able to see himself in that light as well,” she said.
“I think you’re able to give yourself a lot more love and self-compassion if you’re able to witness your childhood self.”
She might just have a point.