# How to Remember to Call Your Parents > Mean to call your parents but the week gets away? Pick a fixed slot, keep a list of things to tell them, use short calls in between and plan around time zones. Source: https://www.getmindie.app/blog/how-to-remember-to-call-your-parents (published 2026-10-29) You think about calling your mum on Tuesday. And Thursday. On Sunday night you realise it's been three weeks. You care. Calls just don't have a deadline, so they lose to everything that does. A few small changes make calling your parents something that happens on its own. ## Why the call keeps slipping A call home is a classic "important but never urgent" task. A few things make it harder: - **There's no fixed time.** "Sometime this week" never quite arrives. - **You want to have time for a proper chat.** So you wait for a free hour that doesn't come. - **You're not sure what to talk about.** So the call feels like effort. - **Time zones,** if you live far apart, shrink the window where you're both free. Each one has a fix. ## Pick a regular slot The most reliable way to keep in touch is a fixed time. "Sunday morning call with Mum" happens far more often than "call Mum this week". Choose a slot that works for both of you: - **A weekend morning,** when nobody's rushing. - **Your commute,** if you walk or drive and use hands-free. - **A weekday lunch break,** for a shorter check-in. - **Right after a weekly routine,** like the Sunday food shop. Tell your parents the plan. Once they expect your call on Sunday at 11, it becomes a small ritual on both sides. They'll often remind you if you forget, which helps too. ## Keep a "things to tell them" list Running out of things to say is a big reason calls feel like hard work. You know lots happened, but when they ask "what's new?", your mind goes blank. Keep a running list during the week: - Something funny the kids said. - A film you watched they'd like. - News about work. - A question you've been meaning to ask, like Gran's recipe or how they're getting on with the new phone. - Photos to send after the call. Before the call, glance at it. The conversation has somewhere to go, and the call becomes something you look forward to instead of a chore. ## Short calls count Not every call needs to be an hour. A five-minute "just checking in" call keeps the connection between longer ones, and it's much easier to fit in. Good moments for a short call: - Walking to the train. - Waiting for the kettle or for dinner to cook. - In the car before you go into the supermarket. If calling every week is too much, alternate: a long call every other weekend, short check-ins in between. ## Fill the gaps with messages Between calls, small messages keep you in each other's lives: - A photo of something that made you think of them. - A voice note when you're out walking. - A quick "how was the doctor?" after an appointment you knew about. These don't replace a call, but they mean the call isn't the only contact. ## If you live in different time zones Distance makes a regular slot even more useful. When you're in different time zones, the overlap where you're both awake and free can be narrow. - **Work out the overlap.** Write down a few times that are reasonable on both ends. - **Agree on one and stick to it,** like your Sunday 9am, their Sunday evening. - **Watch for clock changes.** Not every country moves its clocks on the same dates, so the gap can shift by an hour for a few weeks. Set your reminder on your own local time, and check the time for them when the clocks change. ## Share it with siblings If you have brothers or sisters, a loose rota can help, especially if your parents are older or live alone. Each of you takes a different day. Your parents get a call most days, and nobody feels they have to do it all. ## Remember the dates that matter Beyond the regular call, there are dates where a call is expected: birthdays, anniversaries, the anniversary of a loss, the day of a hospital appointment. Put them in your reminders with a heads-up a few days before, so you can send a card or plan a call. The post on [how to remember birthdays](/blog/how-to-remember-birthdays) has a full system for that. ## Doing it with Mindie Mindie lives in WhatsApp, which is often where you're already messaging your family. A regular [call your parents reminder](/reminders/call-parents) looks like this: "Every Sunday at 11am remind me to call Mum" If you're out, reply "snooze 2 hours". When you've called, reply "done". If you'd like to see how often you actually call, set it up as a habit with a goal of once a week, and Mindie shows the streak. For the list of things to tell them, add to it during the week: "Add to my tell Mum list: Mia's school play, the new job news, ask about the garden" Then on Sunday morning, ask "what's on my tell Mum list?" and it's there. For messages between calls, Mindie can hand you a ready WhatsApp link with a short note written, like "Thinking of you, how did the check-up go?". You tap it and send it yourself. Mindie never messages anyone but you. For important dates: "Every year on 2 April remind me it's Mum and Dad's anniversary, give me a heads-up a week before" ## Start this Sunday 1. Pick one slot that works for you and your parents. 2. Tell them about it. 3. Set a weekly reminder. 4. Start a list of things to tell them. That's enough. The habit builds itself after a few weeks. ## Reminders worth setting - [Call your parents reminder](/reminders/call-parents): a weekly nudge at the time you've agreed. - [Birthday reminder](/reminders/birthday): a heads-up a week before, and a reminder on the day. - [Anniversary reminder](/reminders/anniversary): for your parents' anniversary and other family dates. - [Stay in touch reminder](/reminders/stay-in-touch): the same idea for grandparents, aunts, uncles and old friends. ## FAQ ### How often should you call your parents? There's no right answer. Many people find a weekly call works, with short check-ins or messages in between. Agree on something both of you are happy with, and keep it regular. ### What do you talk about when you call your parents? Keep a running list during the week of news, questions and small stories. Glance at it before the call so you always have something to share. ### How do I call my parents when we live in different time zones? Find a time that's reasonable on both ends, agree on it as your regular slot and set a weekly reminder on your local time. Check it when the clocks change, since countries change on different dates.