Adult son smiling and hugging his father outdoors – e-mem helps families capture life stories in their own voice

Your parents know things about your family you've never asked about

Gift for parents: recording the family story

Your parents stand between the grandparents and your own children. They know the old stories firsthand and lived through your childhood from the other side. e-mem asks them about it, question by question, and records what they tell.

It's that easy

How the gift for parents works

Whether it's your own life story, a conversation with someone special, or memories of a loved one, e-mem turns them into a personal audiobook for family and friends to keep.

Woman holding a wrapped gift voucher with a ribbon

Step 1

Buy the voucher

You order the voucher online, get it as a PDF in your inbox a couple of minutes later and print it out at home. No waiting for the post, no shipping costs.

Older woman smiling while typing on a laptop to sign up for e-mem

Step 2

Sign up & redeem the code

Your parents or grandparents set up their own account using the code from the voucher. From then on it's their account, and there's nothing else for you to do.

The three e-mem question catalogs, your own story, someone else's story, or a memory of a loved one

Step 3

Choose a question catalog

Choose from our three question catalogs, depending on whether you want to record your own story, the story of a loved one, or the memory of a loved one.

Recording an answer with the microphone button in the e-mem app

Step 4

Record & tell

Record answers to the questions we ask, at your own pace, directly in the browser on your computer or with a tablet/smartphone. No download required.

Downloading finished recordings in e-mem

Step 5

Preserve forever

Download your recordings or order them as a personalized USB stick in an elegant box or a picture frame.

Why your parents, specifically

Parents are the link. They can tell you what the grandparents were really like, and at the same time what they themselves were thinking when you were small. No other source gives you both.

Things come up that nobody ever asks about day to day. Why they moved back then. What they'd have done differently. The questions are built so those answers can surface without feeling like an interrogation.

How parents use e-mem

  • Both parents – two views of the same family
  • At their own pace – no deadline, no minimum
  • Private – only your family has access
  • Something physical – USB stick, box, or picture frame optional

Was andere sagen

Erfahrungen von Familien, die e-mem verschenkt haben

"Wir haben meiner Mutter zum 75. Geburtstag einen e-mem-Zugang geschenkt. Sie hat wochenlang aufgenommen und war am Ende gerührt, wie viele Erinnerungen wieder aufgekommen sind. Das Ergebnis ist unbezahlbar."

Sandra K.
Hamburg

"Mein Großvater hat eine Geschichte, die wir als Familie nie vergessen wollen. Mit e-mem haben wir sie endlich festgehalten, in seiner eigenen Stimme. Ein Geschenk, das wirklich bleibt."

Thomas M.
München

"Zur Goldenen Hochzeit meiner Schwiegereltern war e-mem das Schönste, was wir verschenken konnten. Sie haben die Geschichte ihrer 50 gemeinsamen Jahre erzählt, jetzt haben wir sie für immer."

Familie Weber
Berlin

Questions about the gift for parents

Can both parents take part?
Yes. Either through one shared access, or separately, if each wants to tell their own story.
From what age does this make sense?
There's no fixed limit. Many start around 60, once there's enough distance from the years that shaped them.
My parents speak dialect. Is that a problem?
No, quite the opposite. The voice gets recorded exactly as it sounds. The dialect is part of who they are.
How long does a project like this take?
As long as they want. Some finish in a few weeks, others record one question every so often over a year.
What does the family end up with?
All the recordings to download, and if you want, also a USB stick in a box or a picture frame. Details are on the product page.

Your family's story deserves to be kept.

Choose one of our personalized products – or start for free.

Digital question catalog

Digital question catalog

Unser digitaler Fragenkatalog begleitet dich Schritt für Schritt durch deine Lebensgeschichte. Die sorgfältig zusammengestellten Fragen zu Kindheit, Familie, prägenden Momenten und persönlichen Erlebnissen helfen dir, Erinnerungen zu entfalten, die sonst vielleicht im Verborgenen geblieben wären.

Einfach Frage für Frage beantworten und mit deiner eigenen Stimme aufnehmen, was nur du erzählen kannst. Dann als fertiges Hörbuch herunterladen.

45,00 € incl. VAT
instant
Wooden picture frame

Wooden picture frame

The wooden picture frame from a European manufacturer is an elegant way to present special memories in style. With its high-quality wooden frame and glass, it impresses with a timeless, premium look.

The frame is available in white, black and dark brown. The double passe-partout gives the presentation a particularly refined effect. A photo in 10 × 15 cm format is placed in the first passe-partout (the image can be uploaded via the website), and the USB stick with the digital memories is stylishly presented in the second passe-partout.

Choose a color:
Selected: black
27,99 € incl. VAT
5–7 business days
This product can only be ordered after all questions have been fully recorded.
Linen picture frame

Linen picture frame

The linen picture frame from a European manufacturer is an elegant way to present special memories in style. With its high-quality wooden frame and glass, it impresses with a timeless, premium look.

The frame is available in white, black and dark brown. The double passe-partout gives the presentation a particularly refined effect. A photo in 10 × 15 cm format is placed in the first passe-partout (the image can be uploaded via the website), and the USB stick with the digital memories is stylishly presented in the second passe-partout.

Choose a color:
Selected: beige
27,99 € incl. VAT
5–7 business days
This product can only be ordered after all questions have been fully recorded.
Voucher

Voucher

for question catalog and picture frame

72,99 € incl. VAT
instant
Voucher

Voucher

for picture frame

27,99 € incl. VAT
instant
Voucher

Voucher

for question catalog

45,00 € incl. VAT
instant