The mark on the wall

The mark on the wall, made to last

Marking heights on the door frame is an old tradition with a known problem: the wall stays in the house when the family moves out. A few precautions solve that and turn the game into a real record.

How to do it

• Pick a corner that will not be painted any time soon, and always the same one.
• No shoes, heels against the wall, looking straight ahead.
• Rest a book flat on top of her head, level, to mark it straight.
• Write the date beside the mark, always. A mark without a date is no use to anyone.
• Photograph the whole wall at every new mark. That is the photo that survives moving house.

If you cannot mark the wall

A fabric or wooden height chart fixed to the wall does the job, and it comes with you when you move. A long strip of paper taped behind the door also works, and can be rolled up and put away.

How often

Every three months in the first year and every birthday after that. Marking every week fills the wall without telling any story; it is the distance between the marks that is the record.