Bye tradition—Meghan Markle’s ritual for kids is perfect ‘modern’ parenting

Meghan Markle has made headlines this week for the modern parenting ritual she has created for her two kids.

The 43-year-old appeared on a recent podcast with close friend and IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima, where she revealed she has already created email accounts for her children Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3–and before she goes to bed each night she emails them.

Included in these emails could be a report card from school, funny things one of the children has said or a casual picture of the two siblings eating breakfast.

“They’re things that you’re not gonna [sic] frame, the things that you’re not going to put pen to paper in a journal, but they will end up at one point in their life, maybe when they’re 16 or 18 that I say, ‘Here’s an e-mail that I’ve been keeping for you’,” the Duchess of Sussex said on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show”.

The parenting choices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reflect a deliberate departure from the royal traditions Prince Harry was raised under.

In his 2023 memoir “Spare”, Prince Harry candidly recalled the emotional reserve that characterized his upbringing, noting his father’s limited displays of affection and the challenges of grieving in the public eye.

Markle has also spoken about navigating a divorced household and the complexities of forging her identity amid contrasting parental influences.

These personal histories appear to have shaped the couple’s approach to raising their own children.

Their focus on emotional presence, open communication and daily connection signals a shift towards more mindful parenting.

Newsweek spoke to Daren Banarsë MA BACP, a consultant psychotherapist at the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy, who said that Markle’s sentimental gesture serves multiple purposes.

“They create a private record of childhood moments, establish a valuable ritual for the parent, and eventually provide children with authentic glimpses into their early years that photographs alone can’t capture,” Banarsë said.

It’s also particularly meaningful because it doesn’t focus exclusively on milestones or achievements, and rather, small, everyday moments which can typically get lost in fast-paced family life.

“By documenting ordinary days and small observations, Meghan is validating the importance of everyday experiences rather than just camera-worthy occasions,” Banarsë explained. “This subtly communicates to children that their normal, unfiltered existence is worthy of attention and remembrance.”

Markle’s simple love language to her kids also struck a chord with Dorcy Porter, founder of the Conscious Co-Parenting Institute and a reunification coach, as a mother and professional.

She told Newsweek that mothers would turn to pen and paper or baby books to capture special moments with their children before the internet.

“What Meghan’s doing is a modern evolution of that same impulse to hold space for her children’s lives in a consistent, intimate way,” Porter said. “It’s parenting as presence, not performance.”

Porter, who works with families healing from alienation, explained that one of the deepest wounds for a child is a lack of connection to their past. Stories from their childhood may be non-existent and memories that showed how their parents saw them may not come easily.

“Meghan’s emails become a breadcrumb trail of identity, a reminder that they were always loved, always witnessed,” she said. “That’s not just emotional, it’s foundational.”