Writing Letters to Your Child for the Future
What to put in, and how to keep the letters findable
Quick answer
Write about ordinary life right now: what your child likes, what they say, what a normal day looks like, and what you feel. One short letter a year is a simple place to start, and the Library of Congress lists pencil or carbon-based ink on acid-free paper as likely to stay stable.
At a glance
Things to try now
What to do now
- 1Set a five-minute timer and write three things your child did this week
- 2Add one sentence about how you feel about them right now
- 3Date it, then put it in an envelope in a place another adult knows about
What to say
- “Right now you are obsessed with ___, and every morning you ___.”
- “Here is something you said this week that I never want to forget:”
- “This is what an ordinary Tuesday looks like for us:”
What to practice consistently
- Writing at the same time each year, and skipping years without guilt
- Including small details like favorite songs, foods and jokes
- Keeping paper and digital copies in separate places
What to avoid
- Waiting until you have something important to say
- Relying on one email account, which may not last until the letter is due
- Taping or laminating letters, which the Library of Congress advises against for items kept long term
These are common approaches mentioned in sources and by parents. They are informational, not prescriptive.
What parents say
We haven't published parent perspectives on this topic yet.
What this usually involves
- Choosing a yearly moment such as a birthday
- Writing down details that will be easy to forget
- Adding a few words about how you feel
- Storing letters together in a place someone else knows about
- Keeping a digital copy as a backup
Related questions
The Library of Congress suggests a closed container kept away from attics, basements, garages, light and rapid swings in humidity.
A Psychological Science study found that people underestimated how interested they would later be in ordinary moments.
A Library of Congress post cautions that email addresses may change over time, so a second copy in another form is a useful backup.
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A very young child may hold few memories of their own, so much of the connection can come from the people around them. Grief and cancer care organizations describe simple ways to help: keeping belongings and photos, talking about the parent at the child's level, and marking days that mattered. There is no right way to do this and no schedule for it.
Worth remembering?
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