Why a video message to your future grandchildren in case something happens to you matters
You can record a message for grandchildren who are not born yet. It sounds strange until you imagine a child, decades from now, hearing your voice for the first time. A just-in-case message is not about expecting the worst. It is about taking one fear off the table: that your future grandchildren would be left guessing.
You will probably never need it to be delivered. That is the best outcome, and the message still did its job: it let you stop worrying. Introduce yourself. Tell them your name, where you grew up, what you loved. They will not know any of it unless you say it.
Three angles to take
Pick one. A message that tries to do all three usually does none of them well.
Permission to go on
Tell them, plainly, that they should live fully, laugh soon, and not feel guilty for a single good day. People need to hear it in your voice.
Introduce yourself to a stranger who shares your name
Assume they know nothing. Say who you are, where the family came from, what you believed in. Say it the way you would to a child sitting on the floor in front of you.
What they would need to hear first
If the worst happened tomorrow, what is the first sentence your future grandchildren would need from you? Say that first, before anything practical.
12 prompts to get you talking
Answer two or three of these on camera and you have a message. Half are about your future grandchildren; half are about in case something happens.
- 01Who are you, in three sentences, for someone who never met you?
- 02What do you want them to know you were never angry about?
- 03What do you hope they are brave about?
- 04What practical thing would make the first week easier for them?
- 05What do you believe about how to treat people, said simply?
- 06Who should they lean on, in your opinion?
- 07Where did the family come from, and what did it cost to get here?
- 08What is your blessing for their life, in one sentence?
- 09What would you want them to know about how much they were wanted before they existed?
- 10What is a thing you always meant to say and did not?
- 11What is a family saying, song, or recipe you want to survive?
- 12What do you want them to remember about how you lived, not how you left?
A sample 60-second script
Replace the bracketed parts with your own words. Read it once, then put it down and talk.
Hi kids. I made this so that if anything happened to me, you would have my voice telling you the important things.
The important things are short: [one, two, three sentences].
Lean on [a person or people].
And if you are ever unsure what I would have said about something, it is this: [one line].
I love you. I always will.
When to deliver it
This kind of message is usually delivered by the check-in rather than by a date.
A just-in-case message uses the check-in. You check in on a simple schedule, and if you stop responding and miss the reminders over the grace period, the message is delivered to your future grandchildren. While you are here and checking in, nothing is sent.
Before a specific event, surgery or travel for example, some people also keep the message on hold and release it themselves if needed, or ask a trusted person to. You can delete or re-record it afterward when the worry passes.
Record it while the words are fresh
Free to start. Record on any phone, choose who it is for, and decide when it arrives.
Common questions
How is a video message for in case something happens to you delivered to grandchildren who do not exist yet?+
You record it now and set it to deliver on a future date, or keep it on hold and name a trusted family member, usually your child, who can release it when the time is right. It stays sealed and private until then.
What if nothing happens? Does the message to my future grandchildren just sit there?+
Yes, privately and sealed. You can keep it as a standing just-in-case message, update it as life changes, or delete it. Nothing is ever delivered while you are checking in.
Can anyone else see the message before it is delivered?+
No. The video stays private and sealed until it is delivered to the person you named. Nobody, including our team, can watch it before then. After delivery, only the recipient can view it, and they can save their own copy.
Do I need special equipment to record it?+
No. Any phone, tablet, or computer with a camera works, in the browser, with nothing to install. Find a quiet spot with light on your face, prop the phone up, and talk.