Eighteen years to write it. One morning to open it.
A video for your child’s 18th birthday, recorded while they still fall asleep in the car. The letter every parent means to write, in the voice they’ll actually remember.
“You were seven when I recorded this. This morning you asked me whether sharks sleep. I wanted you to know who you were.”
“The advice. Once, in full, and then I promise never again uninvited.”
“I was eighteen once too. Evidence enclosed.”
Three steps, then time does the rest.
Record them a letter
Who they are this week. What they said at dinner. What you hope for them and what you’re not worried about at all.
Date it for the morning
Their 18th birthday, to the day. We lock it and keep it, whether that’s three years away or fifteen.
It arrives on time
The morning they turn eighteen, your message is waiting. You at this age, meeting them at that one.
A video letter for your child’s 18th birthday
The letter-to-my-child-at-eighteen is a tradition much older than video — parents have been writing them for generations, sealing them in drawers and mostly losing them. The video version fixes both problems: it can’t be misplaced, because the delivery date is attached to it, and it carries the one thing paper can’t — your actual voice at the age you are now. Record it this week, date it for the morning they turn eighteen, and lock it. Whether that morning is three years away or fifteen, it arrives on time.
What to include in a message they’ll open as an adult
Who they are right now, in specifics: the dinosaur phase, the question about sharks at breakfast, the way they say “aminal.” The family stories they’re too young to hold onto yet. The advice — given once, completely, with a promise never to repeat it uninvited, which is the only way advice to an eighteen-year-old has ever been received. And one honest thing about yourself at their age, because the message lands differently when it comes from a person instead of a parent.
When to start recording
Now, at whatever age they are. The math is simple: the wider the gap between the recording and the opening, the more the message weighs. A video from last year is a memory; a video from when they were four is an artifact. Parents who start early often make it a series — one every birthday, all sealed for the same morning — but even a single message, recorded on an ordinary Tuesday and locked for a decade, will be the thing they keep.
What if their email changes before they turn 18?
Schedule delivery to your own email and hand it over on the morning, or use Premium to schedule to their address. You can update the recipient any time before the video locks in for delivery.
Can both parents record one?
Yes, separately or together. Some families record one each birthday and let them all come due the same morning, eighteen envelopes at once.
Is ten or fifteen years really safe to schedule?
Yes. Videos are held on durable cloud storage with the delivery date attached. If we ever needed to wind down, you would get notice and an export option first.
Can I watch it again over the years?
If you lock it, no. It stays watchable for 72 hours after scheduling, then seals until their birthday. Most parents lock it and let the message wait.
They’ll get one morning like this. Be in it.
Start scheduling — it’s free