How Christopher Turned a Gift for His Mom Into a Collection of Stories They Could Share Together

Christopher gave his mom Remento as a way to spend time together and create something meaningful, discovering that a year of shared stories could bring them closer while preserving the memories, laughter, and connection they would want to hold onto.

“It was a gift for my mom. It was a way that we could spend time together, create together without even having to be together.”

How I Discovered Remento and Started Capturing My Mom's Stories

I first came across Remento while looking for something like this for my mom. I think I may have seen an ad, though I wasn't sure whether it was Remento or a competitor. 

I may also have Googled something like “what are the best ones.” I compared at least one competitor, but Remento felt like the right choice. The reviews were good, and the quality of the book stood out to me.

“I'll get the Remento emails about her stories, and she'll reach out to me and be like, ‘Did you see this week's Remento?’”

My mom would receive a prompt by email or text and record her answer from whatever device she was using. I didn't have to be there, and she didn't have to sit down and write. I'd get an email when she recorded a story, and before long, those messages became part of our rhythm. 

There would be something new from her, and suddenly we had something to talk about. We were creating together without needing to be in the same place.

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How Remento’s Prompts Helped My Mom Tell Her Stories Without Writing

The Remento prompts gave my mom somewhere to begin. Instead of figuring out what to write or which memories were worth preserving, she could simply respond to a question. 

Some prompts came from Remento, while others were personalized around things I was curious about, including questions where I could add photos to bring a particular memory to mind. Each one opened a small door into the past.

“Recording Remento stories doesn't feel like all sorts of authentication, logging in, and downloading things. Especially for her, it feels very seamless, which I frigging love.”

She could record audio or video, so she could simply talk rather than turn her memories into writing herself. Some answers were short, others became longer stories, and some led to things I hadn't heard before. Remento automatically turned those recordings into written stories for the book, and I could add photos along the way. Over time, it became a collection of her memories without her ever having to sit down and write a whole book.

How Remento Made Me Appreciate My Mom Even More

A lot of the moments I remember most aren't necessarily the big stories. I asked my mom to show me one of her favorite crafts, and it became one of the funniest videos. She's walking around her apartment trying to show me things and laughing. It's a small moment, but it's exactly the kind of thing I can imagine wanting to see again years from now.

“Having the Remento book and being able to read the stories, see her, and hear her voice, it'll just be so amazing to experience that again in the future. I felt just a lot of affection and love and connection with her.”

Going through these stories made me appreciate her more, and every day I get with her. The book gathers those memories, but it also lets me return to the experience itself. 

I can read one of her stories, scan the QR code, and hear her voice or see her telling it. Her expressions, laughter, tone, and pauses remain part of the memory, giving video and audio storytelling a way to preserve something of her presence.

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Why Remento Became More Than a Keepsake

What surprised me was how much came out of a year of answering questions. You start with one prompt, then another story appears, and then another. I'd get an email, she'd ask if I'd seen that week's Remento, and we'd find ourselves connected by whatever she'd shared. I wasn't expecting that when I gave it to her.

“Every human is a treasure trove of stories. My mother just did this year of work with me, which is awesome anyway, and then you open up this treasure chest of all these stories in the Remento book. It's very overwhelmingly beautiful.”

Looking back, I'm glad we did it. I have a book full of stories from my mom, but more than that, I have a record of a year we spent creating something together. 

There are funny moments, stories I hadn't heard, and little pieces of her I know I'll want to return to. That's what makes the book meaningful to me. It reminds me not only of the stories, but of the time we spent making them.

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A Few Things People Ask About my Remento Experience

Does my mom have to write anything herself? 

No. She answers each week's prompt out loud, on video or audio, and Remento turns the recording into a written story for the book automatically.

Do we need to be in the same place for this to work? 

No. My mom records on her own time from her own device, and I get an email whenever a new story comes in. Most of this happened without us being together in person.

Is it just text, or can I actually hear and see her telling the story? 

Both. Every story in the book has a QR code linking back to the original video or audio, so you can read it or scan it to hear and see her tell it herself.

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