If you're reading this, you probably know the feeling. You call your parent every day. They say they're fine. You hang up and wonder if they really are.
That quiet worry — the one you can't quite name — is what drove me to build Daily Howdy.
I'm Bill Eisenhauer, a software engineer in Austin, TX. Like millions of adult children, I live far from my aging parent. I wanted more than a phone call. I wanted something that would let me see how they're doing, not just hear that they're fine.
But I didn't want surveillance. I didn't want something that would make my parent feel tested or watched. I wanted something we'd both be part of, out in the open.
I wanted a game. Something genuinely fun. Something that would make my parent smile every morning — and give me the simple peace of mind of seeing that they showed up today.
The idea
I realized what I actually wanted was simple: a reason for us to show up for each other every day. Not another check-in call. Something we'd both genuinely look forward to — a quick game, answers to compare, a streak to protect.
The key insight: connection works best when it's a habit, not an obligation. A two-minute game you both play every morning gives you a reason to talk that isn't "just checking in" — and the simple comfort of seeing that she played today.
The mission
Daily Howdy is built on a simple belief: staying close should be fun for both of you. She plays, you see she played, and you both watch the streak grow. Fun and connection aren't opposites — they're the same thing, designed right.
Every design decision we make asks two questions: "Is this fun for the senior?" and "Does this give the caregiver peace of mind?" If the answer to both isn't yes, we don't ship it.
We're a small team building something we wish existed for our own families. If you're the kind of person who calls every day and still worries, Daily Howdy is for you.