WASHINGTON – Most parents love to chronicle their kids’ childhood with endless photos and videos of special occassions. But one English father took this to a whole new level by taking a picture of their son just about every day for 21 years.

The resulting time-lapse video has become a YouTube sensation – it has received almost 5 million hits since it was uploaded Sept. 26.

Ian McCleod told the Yorkshire Post the project began as a “daft” idea that gradually grew over time, reports Yahoo.

“I was thinking I could do it for one or two years at most