email address for child - sending photos & letters

[CloudBee]

When I was pregnant I created a Gmail account for DS. His name isn't near the top 10, but it's average enough that by the time he's "of age" I'm sure his Gmail domain will have been snatched up. Combinations of his first and last (reversed, too) were taken, so I registered first.middle.last. (Obviously there could very well be some other big vendor out there - but Apple email addresses are still sought after.)

During the last couple months of my pregnancy I started journaling by way of email / personal letter to him. Talking about my excitement, preparation for his arrival, etc.

Since then, I've shot a handful of other messages and sent a few photos.

I'm certainly not capturing every milestone (not even close!), but hope to shoot off at least a few of these emails per year.

Today I emailed him about how he's just started to play tennis, included photos, and gave a little description of where we are playing. (That we're members of X club, I chat about how he comes to the gym with me and plays in their daycare, and that there's an associate tennis club on the campus, etc.)

I figure I will hold onto this account until he's out of the house, assuming he'll have a "junk" account to use during his elementary and teen years. Then if he ever wants a clean address (with just his name) for resumes and such, and if Gmail is still a big name, he can use it. Otherwise it may just be retained as a virtual file for memories and journaling.

DH has all of the login info, too, and sends test emails every once in a while so the account never becomes deactivated or stale.

A tiny part of me is also happy that I'm writing these letters, because tomorrow I could be hit by a bus.

Does anyone else do something similar?  Maybe it could even be a wedding gift one day? Having the entire compilation printed and bound.

[arch01]

Yep, we do the same. DH writes a majority of the letters to the email address and sends pictures. We really like it.

I have a letter per month that I write DS-what he's done, big events, etc. One of these days I'll get the book together with all of his pictures. I'm over 3.5 years in and have taken a picture a day of him. The plan is to have the letters (I did one per week til age 1) and all of the pictures in there by year.

[zarapipe]

I write a letter every year around their bday and put it in a Bday card. I think when she is grown I will just give her this stack of birthday cards with letters that I've writeN to her. if and when she ever becomes a mom I think they would mean a lot to her.

[halfpint]

I made an account, and sent some things when I was pregnant. We shared it with the grandparents, too - I haven't sent anything in a while, I probably should!!!

[runblondie26]

Aug 5, 2015 10:44:00 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

I created email accounts for both kids but haven't sent anything to them. :-\

It did come in handy when DS1 wanted to fill out a NCAA bracket, though. lol.

I created a gmail account for DS1 when I was pregnant with the intention of doing the journing/photo thing, but of course never got around to it.

We have a unique last name, so I have 100% confidence all the kids will be able to secure their own domains in the future on whatever platform is popular then, otherwise I might be inclined to snatch them up now.

[shortstax]

yep, we have emails for both of our kids. Most things I send them are random pictures or recaps of holidays/birthday parties, etc. I have the emails sorted by oldest first, so that the first thing they'll see someday is an intro email from Mom and Dad

I have them saved in my phone for quick and easy shout-outs.

[anna7602]

People will be sending each other messages telepathically by the time my kids are in college.

ETA: I was trying to joke, not be snarky. I've handwritten notes to each of my kids in a separate book. I'm old school. 

[dcn]

I have an email address for Ds and meant to send him things but never remember :/

[shortstax]

Aug 5, 2015 10:53:28 GMT -5 shortstax said:

yep, we have emails for both of our kids. Most things I send them are random pictures or recaps of holidays/birthday parties, etc. I have the emails sorted by oldest first, so that the first thing they'll see someday is an intro email from Mom and Dad

I have them saved in my phone for quick and easy shout-outs.

ETA - I didn't do formal email addresses with their full names. Instead I gave them variations of their first name in nickname form based on a song we've sung them both as babies.   I hope DS isn't using this "jackaroo" email on a resume someday, lol.

[kershnic]

I think the letters and photos are a great thing to compile for your child's future, and it's really awesome that you're taking the time to do it in an organized, accessible way. I haven't had the energy to keep up with any of the things I wanted to do yet.

I think it's unlikely that any of our kids will want to use these email addresses created by their parents in the future. Technology is moving forward so quickly and the majority of parents are not doing this, so chances are when our kids are grown up they'll prefer to do whatever their peers without forward looking parents are doing vs. use an email account their parents set up 20 years ago.

That said, my kids have a unique last name so I don't have to worry about that aspect. Maybe I'd be more concerned about protecting the "just in case" if that weren't the case.

[robyn]

We have one for DD. We have sent her a few emails and picture throughout the last year. It's her first and last name at gmail. This weekend I have reminder set to email her all of her first birthday pics from last weekend along with a 1 year old email.

[longtimenopost]

DD (2.5) has a gmail address - mainly for an account on her tablet my parents got her

[stackingtens]

We do the same thing! At first I wrote monthly emails. AFter the first year it was not nearly as frequent... a photo here, a note there. Now I'm good with a solid birthday email and prob 2-3 others throughout the year with some updates/milestones/great memories (vacation pics or something similar). Since DS is about to be a big brother, I wrote one recently just about how fun it is to watch him anticipate the birth of his sibling, etc.

DH has prob sent 2-3 emails total. He's not much for writing emails, but I think DS will be glad for anything he "gets" in that respect.

[pooh8402]

We're doing this too, but also keeping a written journal.

[Velar Fricative]

Aug 5, 2015 11:30:14 GMT -5 @stilljustash said:

i am a terrible mother.

Me too (that was why I liked your post, not because I agree that you're a terrible mother).

[SJ]

I do have a gmail address for her, but I don't use it or send things to it very often.

I keep an ongoing Google word document that I write letters or entries to her of the type that you are describing. I do it every month at least, but also make note of other milestones or any other times I want to "write to her." She also has baby books, but the Google document is definitely more personal.

We also use Tiny Beans and have at least one picture from every day thus far.

[teatimefor2]

We have this for both kids. I email them photos and videos, it also helps me prepare to create their annual photo books. I log in a few times a year and always notice my parents will email my children. Telling them that they had a great visit with them or just their horoscope (that's only my mom). I love that, and it really touched me.

[Deleted]

Aug 5, 2015 11:30:14 GMT -5 @stilljustash said:

i am a terrible mother.

I was just thinking this. Poor DS doesn't have 3/4 of his baby book filled out and the footprints/handprints are from when he was around a year (I only guess at a year because I didn't even put the date).

Mom fail.

[minzy]

Yes, I do this! Chronicling life for my kids is one of my "things." They each have a gmail account and I try to update them quarterly with an email. I get really specific about what they're doing at present (the beauty's in the details for me). Already it's been interesting comparing DD1 and DD2 at the same ages.

My mother died when I was in high school and I always sort of hoped with each passing life milestone that I might get a note or something. The one thing we later found that she had started to write to us shortly before she died was about how extended warranties were generally a ripoff. Ha!

[niq]

We own the domain name www.hislastname.com, and we have a free Google Apps account for [e-mail]. We don't send him email very often.

[monsterz]

I am going to start this. We just got Jr his own gmail account and will be sending him emails. I think the first one will be tomorrow after the finalization. I figured that was a good timeframe to start from.

[CloudBee]

Aug 5, 2015 13:20:38 GMT -5 @republicrat said:

Aug 5, 2015 11:30:14 GMT -5 @stilljustash said:

i am a terrible mother.

I was just thinking this. Poor DS doesn't have 3/4 of his baby book filled out and the footprints/handprints are from when he was around a year (I only guess at a year because I didn't even put the date).

Mom fail.

I found the baby book to be challenging. But the email thing is SO easy for me.

[MadamePresident]

I have thought about it, but never came up with something for Nods. Her first and middle isn't available, and I don't want to do firstlast, since I assume she will change it when she gets married. My SIL still has First Initial Maiden and it drives me crazy, since our first names start with the same letter.  

ETA: if she had kept her maiden name I wouldn't care, but she changed it. So I can't have first initial last name on Instagram since she took it.

[Deleted]

I feel like this should go in the confessions thread but no I haven't even thought to do this. I didn't fill out baby books either 

It's a cute idea though!

[hermione]

Yes, I do this. I was the third and last child and the only one without a baby book - I always hated that so I think I am subconsciously going overboard in this area.

I had to use first, middle initial, last to get the email address. Every other combination was taken.

[aspentosh]

I created an email address for DD and shared it with our families. People will email in stories or pictures or stuff when they think of it. I plan on giving her the password on her 18th birthday.