User Guide

Timeline

The Timeline is the true beginning of the app. With the creation of the account, at least one Parent/Guardian owns the account and all children have access to their individual sections. Any entry can be designated as Private or open to other Contributors. However, this is the part of the app that has the most potential to record these milestones in a different way. One of the main goals of the app is to be able to pass down a history of how your child became who they are. The Timeline entries show the major events.

Key Components of the Timeline

Used for major events or special days. Examples are Report Cards, Birthdays, Firsts (walking, lost tooth, school, certain words, etc.), Holidays/Special Events, impactful days (flower girl in wedding, concert, Boy Scout awards, winning spelling bee, etc. ).
Request for Feedback is available. This allows you to request and receive a 3rd party perspective that will be saved along with the memory. These requests are sent to Contributors for Feedback with the purpose of providing some context or additional perspective of the Timeline event. Additionally, the Feedback Request also shares the major event with someone that perhaps could not experience it live. Examples of entries and feedback are:
- Entry - Lost First Tooth. Feedback Request sent to Grandmother who was there the morning it was discovered
- Entry - Attended first baseball game. Feedback Request to Uncle that took us to the game.
- Entry - Brought grade from C to B+. Feedback Request to teacher on how much class participation increased.
- Entry - First basket made. Feedback Request to coach on great job aiming for the backboard.
Interviews are the best way to accentuate the Timeline. While the app has many technical features, the most important benefit we can offer is an opportunity to create a great bond between you and your child. Everyone can video or record events as they unfold, but we encourage a more dynamic conversation with the suggestions offered in the Timeline. For example, rather than just recording a child blowing out their candles for a birthday, add to this event with a fun interview. “What is your favorite team, rate the top 3 pizza places, what will your job be, how many kids will you have”. Another example, for New Year's Eve, record a goal list for the upcoming year. This can be broken down into categories such as Learning, Fun, Personal Records, etc. Our team will continually offer new ideas and suggestions.

Child Diary

While a diary for a child is not a new concept, Legacy Parenting offers unique opportunities to both the parent and child . These entries are for the thoughts and/or activities that are not significant enough to be on the Timeline, but certainly worth remembering. This feature is one of the 3 sections your child can access along with the Timeline and Family History. As in the other parts of the app, the Request for Feedback is available. Below is a list of examples of common uses along with possible Feedback Requests

Younger - without a phone and needing parent prompting and assistance

Questions such as “How was School Today?”, “Can you say the alphabet?”, “What was your favorite part of the movie?”, “Are you excited for Christmas?”.
Pictures such as drawings, homemade cards, notes, etc.
Videos such as playing with their siblings, reading books together, singing.

Younger Feedback Requests - in the above examples, these entries are available to be shared with the other Parent, Contributor or Guardian. Additionally, Feedback can be requested. This allows parents to not only see events but respond by text, picture or video so the child can see the response. Both parties get the benefit of connectivity in cases where distance would be an obstacle, and they can watch/view as many times as they wish. We encourage this for the parents or relatives that have longer work hours, reside separately from the child, are deployed or simply don't want to miss anything,

Older - with a way to record themselves

Videos of workout, sports, hobbies
Thoughts about important topics at various pre-teen and teen ages.
Silly thoughts and feelings they often think are funny to record.

Older Feedback Requests - While these can be similar to the younger requests, they will often be used to share amongst the child's peers, friends and possibly coaches/teachers. Sports practice, day to day stories, etc. can be shared with family but also with a coach for critique, instruction or just for fun.

Parent Diary

The Parent Diary is private and can only be seen and authored by the parent. From the beginning, a date certain is set as to when the child can see any entry. This date can be amended or deleted at the Parent or Guardian discretion. The intent of this diary, as with all parts of Legacy Parenting, is to give the child a different perspective of their development. Through the sharing of the Parent's thoughts, the Child not only has a deeper understanding of the Parents thoughts, emotions, goals, etc. but also comes away with a different perspective than they may otherwise remember.

Highlights:

This section is for the parent's day-to-day thoughts and is also able to be shared with the other Parent or a Contributor along with a Feedback Request.

The Sharing ability keeps those closest to both the parent and child informed as much or as little as you choose.

The Feedback Request provides the opportunity to not only share but get supportive advice.

Examples of usage and potential sharing include;

Feelings when children attend school or are absent, troubles with potty training, feelings of frustration or joy from day to day events, worries over a particular friend, dealing with medical situations, etc.
These can be kept for the parent only but also shared with a trusted friend, caregiver, relative or divorced parent of the child. This serves to alert them at times but also to get feedback or advice if requested and to coordinate strategies where applicable.

Family History

Family history is one of the three areas of the app that can be seen by the Child. It is structured as the typical family tree diagram, however it has a different intended use than simply to provide genealogical information. The tree is built by the Parent by adding a Contributor when a Request for Feedback is sent or simply at the discretion of the Parent. The relative is placed in the tree by their relation to the Child through the creation of a folder. This folder allows you to add videos, pictures or text information. By simply hovering over the name on the tree, you will also be able to find anytime the Contributor was tagged in a Timeline entry or provided Feedback. As in all parts of the app, Legacy Parenting provides examples of video interviews and ideas to fully make use of this section. These folders can be shared amongst app users. This allows one person to collect information about a relative and help build the profile of another user. Please see some examples below;

Interview questions for the parents (often done by the child) - “where did you meet?”, “what was your first date?”, “what job did you think you would do in high school?”, “what did you think when you first saw me?”
Interview questions for any relative - “what was it like to watch the moon landing?”, “when did you first start painting?”
For distant relatives that may not live nearby, there can videos to show where they live, other relatives, family information, etc. This may be a way for family members separated by a great distance to connect in a lasting way.
For relatives that are no longer with us, this can be used to create videos from others to keep a living memory. Asking questions about a departed parent, brother, etc. can be a way to keep the memory alive for the Child, even before they are old enough to appreciate it.
Not all entries are videos. This is where you can store mom's apple pie recipes, the high school yearbook picture of grandma, a poem written by a father, a very important picture, etc.

"What If"

The ultimate goal of Legacy Parenting is to show the Child different perspectives about how they became themselves. This part of the app is used for planning and for leaving an enduring dialogue of thoughts to be accessed in the future. As in all parts of the app, Legacy Parenting will provide examples of various ways to use this feature. It is possible that some of these videos will move from the What If section to the Family Tree in time. Please see examples below;

A list of the most important books or poems you want to read to your child before they turn 5.
A list of songs or movies you want your child to hear/see.
A video of what you want to say to your Child on graduation day, wedding, having their first child, etc.
A video of advice for any topic important to you, how to deal with a breakup, how to pick out the best tie for your suit, how to put on makeup, politics, religion, etc.