Messages for future birthdays: recording now for a day years away
An 18th birthday, a wedding morning, the first day of college. How to record a message today that arrives on a date you choose, and what to put in it.
Writes the iyawt prompt library.
Some messages are for now. Some are for a morning years from today: an 18th birthday, a graduation, a wedding. Recording them is easy. Deciding what goes in them takes a little thought.
How dated delivery works
On the Milestones and Generations plans, each message can be set to arrive on a date, up to 25 years after you record it. If your messages are ever released, the dated ones are held safely and delivered on the day you chose. Nothing is sent by date while you’re still checking in; a dated message is simply part of your delivery plan.
Say when “now” is
Open with today’s date and how old they are. “You’re four. You’re obsessed with diggers.” The gap between the recording and the day they watch it is the point. Make it visible.
Imagine the morning, not the whole year
You don’t know what their life will look like at eighteen. You do know what an 18th birthday morning feels like: a bit of nerves, a bit of pride, cake for breakfast if they’re lucky. Talk to that morning.
Don’t try to predict them
“By now you’ve probably…” is a trap. Instead: “Whatever you’re doing right now, I’m proud of it.” It’s true, and it will still be true.
Give them something to do
A small ritual makes the message a gift rather than a goodbye: “Go to the lake, early, before anyone else is up.” “Call your aunt. She’ll pretend she didn’t cry.”
Keep it short
One to three minutes. They’ll watch it more than once. Record another for the next big day rather than cramming everything into one.
Prompts to start with
The For them at 18 set has twelve prompts with examples, written for exactly this. The prompts for your children work for any age.