Questions and answers: What people ask about Well Mentored

Well Mentored sends a short, character-building text message, which we call a reflection, each day you choose, up to seven a week, written for each person's age and life, to help them be a good, strong, solid person. Each one is honest about the struggle and hopeful about the person, and most end with one small thing to do that day. There's a private journal for thinking it through.

Yes. Each adult gets reflections written for their own stage of life (young adult, midlife or later life), about being a better parent, spouse, friend and person, with or without children. The Individual plan is for one adult. On the Family plan, a parent's reflections are on the same theme as the rest of the family that week.

No. The Individual plan is for one adult, with or without children, and it is complete on its own: every theme, every setting and the private journal. Your reflections are written for your stage of life. The Family plan is there if you want to add the people in your family, but you never need it.

Each reflection is written by AI for the person reading it. It draws on our library of 25 themes and 125 reflection ideas, chosen by our founder, Michael McArthur. Every reflection passes an automatic safety check before it's sent.

Yes, you pick. Choose every day, weekdays, a few days a week or the days you want, and the time, with a separate time for weekends. One reflection a day at most, up to seven a week, and the reflection ideas always end on encouragement. Change it later in your account.

You can, but replies aren't read, kept or answered. A text gets an automatic reply that says so and gives 911 and 988. The private journal is the place to reflect on the day. STOP, START, HELP and "wrong number" always work, YES joins when someone has added you, and PAUSE texts you a link to pause in the app.

No. Reflections arrive as text messages. Your journal and settings are on our website, which you can add to your home screen like an app.

Faith is optional. Choose None, Light, Faith-inspired or Scripture-based. Faith content is Christian at launch, with verses only from books every Christian Bible shares.

Affirmations tell you you're great. Well Mentored is honest about what's hard and confident in you, and each reflection is written for the person reading it: a 10-year-old, a teen and a dad each get their own. There's a private journal, and a family shares one theme a week to talk about.

For yourself, you could try. The hard part isn't one good message, it's every day after that: 25 themes taken in order and held to firm rules so they don't drift, repeat or lecture, arriving when you chose with nothing for you to keep running. And a private journal that's stored encrypted.

For a family, it's a different job: each person gets the week's theme written for their own age, and everyone shares a question for the dinner table. Teens choose to join and always know what you can see, and nobody's texts are read or kept, a child's included. Every reflection is checked for safety before it is sent.

Across the United States, in every time zone, including Alaska and Hawaii. A US mobile number is needed.

Michael McArthur, a husband and a dad, started Well Mentored. It is a service of Well Mentored LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, for people across the United States.

Kids 8 to 12, teens 13 to 17, and adults, including adults without children. Signing up is for adults 18 and older, and a parent signs up anyone under 18.

Yes, on the Family plan. Kids 8 to 12 get short, warm reflections about kindness, honesty, mistakes and courage on the days you choose, sent to their phone or to yours to read together. Each one is written for their age.

It's character education at home, by text. Teens 13 to 17 get reflections about friends, pressure, identity and hard days, honest rather than preachy, on the same theme as the rest of the family that week. No reflections go to a teen until the teen replies YES to join.

Yes. No reflections go to a teen until they reply YES. Their welcome text says what Well Mentored is and what you can see.

That's okay. Nothing nags them: no streaks, no counts, no reminders about missed days and no guilt. The reflection simply arrives on the days they choose, there when they want it.

A teen who has not joined yet gets a few friendly invitations over two weeks, then one last message saying they can text YES anytime. You see "Not joined yet", never "declined".

No. You always see the reflections your teen gets and the week's theme, but nobody reads a teen's text replies: not you, and not anyone at Well Mentored. Your teen's journal is private too.

Yes. Kids 8 to 12 can get their reflection on your phone, addressed to them, so you can read it together.

No. Kids' reflections are one-way, with no login and no journal. If a child replies, the reply is never shown to a parent and never used to write their reflections. It gets an automatic reply saying the number doesn't read replies.