Record Your Voice

Hearing your own voice is often a bit of a shock. You sound very different to other people than what you think you do as you speak. It is always a bit odd to watch a video or hear a voice recording of yourself and think how your voice simply sounds a bit different. Most people don’t like how it sounds because it is different than what you were expecting. Regardless, record yourself speaking for your loved ones - they love to hear your voice.

Your children (and at some point grandchildren) will want to hear your voice. In our current technology climate, this isn’t really that hard. You probably take multiple videos per week, so you’ll always have those with your voice on them. While this is great, ideally you have some more direct videos or voice recordings where you’re speaking directly to the camera. 

The random videos that you take throughout the week are fun, but hearing you simply say a few random things to your child or others doesn’t really help capture what you’re thinking or feeling. Instead, you should consider a recording where you speak directly to the camera or record your voice talking about how you’re doing, what you’re thinking, and what you’re feeling. Make it personal and memorable.

The basic idea here is that instead of writing in a journal (which we recommend you also do on a consistent basis), you are recording those thoughts and feelings. It’s much easier to say a lot more in a recording than it is writing down your thoughts. Writing down your thoughts is excellent as well because it forces you to actually write about the most important things. Sometimes though, being more detailed is ideal and so a recording is better suited to capture your thoughts and feelings.

As an example of a great time to record your thoughts, look to when your child is born. Not necessarily right in the moment in the birth, but in the hours before and after. Talk about the things that you’re excited about and what you’re nervous about. Talk about how you’re feeling after the baby is born, and how you felt in the moment. Express your love for your newborn child and what are the things that you are looking forward to. We did this for the birth of both of our kids, and it’s wonderful to go back and listen to what we said - it will be something wonderful for your kids when they get older as well.

Beyond a child’s birth, any major events in your child’s life or in the country are great opportunities to record your voice and express your feelings. These are the easiest times to express your thoughts for your children and what’s going on in the world. Don’t hold back as to what you say - you want this to be as genuine and real as possible - it’s meant for you and your loved ones.

You’re not trying to make a recording that is perfect - if you make mistakes as you’re speaking, that’s fine. If you go back over something again, that’s fine as well. Do your best to express what you’re feeling, and what you want to say. If you really want to edit it later you can, but there’s really no reason to do so.

Store these videos and recordings in a place where you can know that they are safe. Unlike a journal which always has the potential to be destroyed (water, fire, etc.), a recording can be safely kept in multiple locations online and multiple hard drives. Make sure that they’re in a safe location so you don’t lose them later. Your kids will be grateful in future years to have them.

Record your voice for future generations. Let them hear your thoughts and feelings. It can be truly magical to your loved ones to hear what you were thinking and feeling in the important moments in your life.