Retire from reminder duty.
For parents of college students and young adults, 18 and older.
Whatever they need to remember.
They name each one, choose how often, and choose whether you hear about it.
- Gym time
- Call Nana
- Start the psych essay
- Pay rent
- Get my flu shot
They just text it.
No app, no form. They say it the way they’d tell a friend, and remind/about saves it.
The text does the asking.
At the time they chose, one plain text. They answer it with a 👍 and get on with their day. You hear it’s done, without asking.
Let it be theirs.
At 18, they’re learning to run their own life, and you still want to help. They choose the reminders, answer each with a 👍, and decide who hears. You go from the alarm clock to the person cheering them on.
You don’t need the details. You want to know they’ve got it.
- What to be reminded about
- Whether you hear about it
- Inviting you
- Stopping the texts
- Not asking
Why it works this way.
Backing their independence, listening more than directing, and hearing how it’s going: that’s what the research says helps.
What you’ll see. What you won’t.
Peace of mind, not surveillance. They invite you; you don’t sign them up. Then you hear only about the reminders they share: when one goes out, when it’s done, or if it’s still open three hours later.
| What you’ll see | What you won’t |
|---|---|
| The reminder’s name and time | Their notes |
| A line when it goes out, when it’s done, and if it’s still open three hours later | Their messages, or what they text back |
| Their week of check-ins, on your remind/about calendar | Their location, other apps or screen time |
| Only the reminders they share with you | Anything at all, until they say yes |
And when they don’t reply.
Your student gets two gentle follow-ups. After the line that it went out, you hear only if it’s still open three hours later, and again once it’s done. Whether to say anything is up to you.
Where parents start.
Usually it’s one thing that keeps slipping.
The first apartment
Rent on the first, the trash out on Thursday night, the renter’s insurance in March. Nobody tells you how many small things a lease comes with. They pick which ones get a text.
The form with a deadline
The FAFSA, the scholarship renewal, the housing form that holds spring registration. You’d rather hear it’s in than ask whether it is.
The car they took to school
The registration that expires in their birthday month, the oil change that’s overdue, the street cleaning on their block. They can even send a photo of the sign.
- Today 9:40 AM
Reply: A photo:
- Today 9:40 AM
The first semester away
Their meds and refills are theirs now, and asking every morning from hundreds of miles away isn’t working for either of you. A text at the time they choose does the asking.
Just once, too.
The dentist, the advising meeting, the day the housing form is due. They text it in, in their own words, and choose whether you hear about it. This one was texted in and shared with you, so it asked them first.
Bring it up in one text.
Pick the one that sounds like you. It opens your messages with the text filled in, so you can change it before you send. On a computer, copy it instead.
Short and simple
Found this for reminders. You set it up, and you choose what I see: https://www.remindabout.app
If they’d like help getting organized
Want a hand staying on top of things? This texts you what you want to remember, at the times you pick. You run it, and you choose if I hear it’s done: https://www.remindabout.app
If you’ve been asking a lot
I’d like to stop asking if you’ve done it. This texts you instead, and you decide whether I hear: https://www.remindabout.app
For one thing in particular
For rent: this texts you before it’s due, so nobody pays a late fee. You set it up, and you choose if I see it’s done: https://www.remindabout.app
For the refills
For the refills: this texts you when it’s time to order one, so you don’t run out. You set it up, and you choose if I see it’s done: https://www.remindabout.app
Or do it together.
Sit down with them while they set it up on their own phone. You help with the wording and the times.
It’s their phone and their number, so it’s theirs from the first text.
Questions parents ask.
Can I sign them up?
No. At 18 it’s theirs: they sign up with their own number and text in what to remember. You can sit with them while they do, and they invite you if they want you to hear.
What will I see?
For each reminder they share with you, a short text when it goes out, when it’s done, and if it’s still open three hours later, and their week of check-ins on your remind/about calendar. Never their messages, location or other apps.
What if they turn it off?
Then the texts stop. Replying STOP ends every text, and that choice is part of what makes it theirs.
Can it handle one-time things?
Yes. They text it in, like “dentist thursday at 3:30, let mom know when I’m done”, and confirm with a yes. They choose who hears about each one. On the web, they choose Just once.
Does it work with my calendar?
Their check-ins show on your calendar in remind/about, not in Google or Apple Calendar. They can turn an appointment on their own calendar into a reminder by adding add@remindabout.app to it, and remind/about texts them about it. Single events with a start time only; repeating and all-day events aren’t supported. A reminder from their calendar texts only them, unless they add you to it.
My child is under 18. Can they use it?
Not yet. remind/about is for people 18 and older, as our Terms require.
Do they need an app?
No. Reminders are ordinary texts to any US mobile number, answered with a word or a 👍.
Is this medical advice?
No. remind/about sends the reminders they set up. Doses and timing come from their prescriber.
What appears in the texts?
The reminder’s name and time, so they know what to do. See the complete text message program.
Help them take it from here.
Send it once. They run it, and you hear it’s done when they share it.