Baby Letters

For those of you who don't know, I write letters to babies.

For my close and pregnant friends and family, I force letters and responsibility onto them.

I write letters to their babies. I write one letter per baby usually while its in the womb or at least less than a year old. It is a letter that cannot be opened until that baby has been around for at least eighteen years. And by "cannot" I don't mean physically, more that it "should not" be opened. And by "should not" I mean, that's the basic idea but could be opened without much repercussions other than my disappointment in their lack of control and respect for a tradition that I created completely out of thin air.

These letters are always at least a few pages long. They talk about the strange time difference between the time it was written and the time it is being read. They talk about current events a bit, and try to make a few predictions for the future, or at least ask questions about the future (however, by the time the baby reads the letter, these questions have all been answered.)

Once the letter is written I print out two copies, one for the recipient and one for myself. I then delete the file from my computer so as to make sure I never accidental reread the letter either.

I've written six baby letters since 2008 four of which are the most recent. This includes a letter to Oliver Chance Harahan born yesterday to BJ and Nicole, as well as Tom and Amy Densmore's baby which should be coming out any day now.

Nobody has ever asked for these letters, I just give them to the parents in hopes that they remain unopened. However, Tom and Amy Densmore never received their baby's letter because of their honesty. I was informed that the letter was to be opened and read as soon as it was delivered to them, that they could not be trusted. Appreciating their honesty, I kept the letter from them.

Will this tradition continue? We'll see. Will a new traditon stem from it? One that revolves around a letter reading ceremony? Maybe not, but we'll have to wait at least another fifteen years to find out.

Stay tuned.

And to all the new faces in my life: Good luck.