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5 Things to Know About TalkingParents
5 facts about TalkingParents every current and future user should know.
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Many parents in the market for a co-parenting communication platform consider TalkingParents the most all-inclusive service that aims to make co-parenting easier. Even with a comprehensive breakdown of our features and competitive edge, there are several things about TalkingParents that current and prospective users may not know at first glance. Whether you're a seasoned user or a new co-parent looking for the right communication service, here are 5 things to know about TalkingParents.
1. All actions are stored on an Unalterable Record
Whether you send a message, create a calendar event, or make a call, every action taken within TalkingParents is stored in Unalterable Records. By documenting every interaction in a format that's used by legal professionals and admissible in courtrooms across the country, co-parents can have peace of mind knowing they can avoid the "he said, she said." Should parents have to go to court for anything from parenting plan modifications or child support adjustments to verbal abuse or harassment, our Records can help you and your attorney gather and present pertinent evidence.
Records are available for the following features in TalkingParents:
Parents on our Premium and Standard Plan have unlimited access to PDF Records, while parents on our Free Plan get 24 hours to email unlimited copies of any PDF record for $49.99. Printed Records are also available at different costs, depending on a parent's plan and how many pages are requested. Each Record includes a Digital Signature and a unique 16-digit Authentication Code, confirming that every Record is genuine and unaltered.
2. Your co-parent never has to see your personal information
In some co-parenting situations, parents may wish to keep their personal information private from their child's other parent. To protect all co-parents who use our service regardless of their circumstances, TalkingParents does not share any contact information between matched co-parents.
Information that will never be shared by TalkingParents includes:
- Email address for account creation
- Phone number for multifactor authentication
- Billing information for Standard or Premium subscriptions
- Mailing address for Printed Records
- Bank account information for Accountable Payments
If co-parents are able to communicate via text or email, they can share a unique Match ID or send an invitation directly to sign up for TalkingParents. For co-parents to match accounts without directly contacting their child's other parent, TalkingParents has a matching option that does not require outside contact. Co-parents can match accounts by providing the following information when signing up:
- Your co-parent's first and last name
- Your oldest shared child's first name and date of birth
Even when your account is matched with your ex, TalkingParents will not share either of your information with each other.
3. TalkingParents is not affiliated with the courts
While some co-parents choose to use TalkingParents based on recommendations from friends or online resources, others are ordered by the courts to use our service. Even though the court may order that communication be strictly limited to TalkingParents, there is no affiliation between TalkingParents and the courts or any other legal entity. Additionally, actions taken within TalkingParents are not monitored by the courts in any way. The only way that a court official or legal professional can see interactions within TalkingParents is if a co-parent provides them with a copy of a Record.
We cannot enforce the use of TalkingParents between co-parents; this is the case regardless of whether you and your co-parent are court-ordered to use the service. If a co-parent violates a court order through TalkingParents or refuses to use it, that issue must be resolved with the court that issued the order. TalkingParents has no authority or jurisdiction to contact any court official on behalf of a co-parent who uses our service.
4. TalkingParents is not monitored by anyone
A common misconception about TalkingParents is that the service, the legal system, or some other entity monitors interactions within the platform. Though TalkingParents is owned and run by Monitored Communications LLC, nothing in the service has ever been monitored or is currently monitored.
TalkingParents was established in 2011 by Stephen Nixon, a co-parent and family lawyer, as a website application. After creating the service and seeing rapid success within the co-parenting community, Nixon sought the support of Vince Mayfield and Louis Erickson, the owners of a software engineering company. Nixon, Mayfield, and Erickson created Monitored Communications LLC in 2012 to expand the service's capabilities and lay the foundation for the future development of the TalkingParents app.
Even though "monitored" is in the name of the company that runs the service, no actions or interactions are monitored. This is for the privacy of our users.
5. Accounts cannot be deleted
Unlike many services that allow users to create and delete an account, TalkingParents does not allow the deletion of accounts once created and matched. Due to the secure nature of the information exchanged in the app and the guarantee of Unalterable Records, user information cannot be deleted at any time. The inability to delete an account ensures that neither co-parent can remove an account and clear messages, call records, or other details within the service.
Since TalkingParents bills for Standard and Premium Plan subscriptions monthly, parents who pay for the service can cancel their subscription anytime. If a co-parent wishes to stop using their account, there are specific steps to ensure they are not billed again, inform their matched co-parent of their decision, and pause notifications from the service. This allows co-parents to continue to access their Records at any time or resume use of the service should the need arise.
If you ever need assistance with something related to TalkingParents, check out our Help Center for frequently asked questions about getting started, navigating features, managing plans, and more. For additional assistance with questions or concerns related to your account, contact our dedicated support team.