Writing to nephews
Messages for your nephew: 21 examples across 4 occasions
Boys tend to receive praise for achievement and very little for character, and an uncle or aunt is well placed to correct the balance because nothing is at stake in the observation.
You have the standing to say something a parent's version of the same sentence would sound like management. Use it on something specific.
The register can stay light. The content should not be.
Pick the occasion
step 01 · nine templates
Every occasion, written for your nephew
The details worth reaching for
Whatever the occasion, these are the specifics that make a message to your nephew sound like it came from someone who was actually paying attention.
- Something he is into that the adults find baffling
- A moment he was kind when nobody required it
- A skill he is developing that nobody has named yet
- How he is with younger cousins or siblings
- Something he stuck at when it got difficult
- The way he makes people laugh
- A way he has grown up since last year
- An opinion of his that surprised you
Every stop holds a moment
the path they walk
What goes wrong when people write to nephews
Only mentioning sport or school
The easiest material and the most replaceable. Character observations are what he is unlikely to get elsewhere.
Making the joke the entire card
Fine as a wrapper. One sincere sentence inside it is what he will remember.
Talking down to him
Pitch it slightly older than his age and he will rise to it.
Openings and sign-offs that fit this relationship
Ways to open
- “Something I noticed about you…”
- “Your parents will not tell you this, so I will…”
- “You are getting good at…”
- “I saw you do something recently…”
- “For the record, from your uncle…”
Ways to close
- “Proud of you, mate”
- “Keep at it”
- “On your side, always”
- “Happy birthday, champion”
- “Do not tell your mother I said that”
Common questions
- What should you write to your nephew?
- Boys tend to receive praise for achievement and very little for character, and an uncle or aunt is well placed to correct the balance because nothing is at stake in the observation.. The message that lands names one specific thing rather than summarising the relationship.
- What should you avoid writing to your nephew?
- Only mentioning sport or school. The easiest material and the most replaceable. Character observations are what he is unlikely to get elsewhere.
- How do you make a message to your nephew sound personal?
- Replace one general phrase with something only you would know - something he is into that the adults find baffling, for instance. That single substitution is what separates a borrowed message from one that sounds like you.
Make it something your nephew opens
The same details, turned into a private interactive world. Free to build and preview.