What is this all about?
I wish I knew the answers to the questions above. And I wish I could give Cailin (who in 2012 was 5 years old), my memories of her and her life so far. And even though I am well intentioned, I keep forgetting.
CONSCIOUS MEMORIES is an automated system that reminds you to record or write down the things you want to make sure you remember about your children. Every year on their birthday, you will receive an e-mail with some really inspiring questions. This is an encouragement to reflect on your child's previous year and record those special moments.
And on your birthday, you will also receive an e-mail reminder, inspiring you to capture your memories and thoughts of being a parent.
Many parents have an intensity of recording and documenting their children's first and maybe second year of life. The first crawl, the first hand print, the first words (we have boxes of Cailin's first clothes, first toys etc). But soon after that it just becomes photographs and video at sporadic times. But this just captures a moment, not a thought or an experience.
Do you perhaps also feel that your children are growing up too fast and that you may forget those special memories of their upbringing? My partner Rene often regrets not writing down the funny and wonderful things Cailin says because she knows that she will soon forget them. I really want you to get this. Imagine what it would be like for you, now today, as an adult and parent to read your own parent's answers to the following questions that they wrote down for you on each of your birthdays:
The role of being a parent if thrust upon us when we have children. The CHOICE of being the best parent we can be is a conscious choice that reflects our intentions, and our commitments to our children. And part of that choice is my gift of recording my CONSCIOUS MEMORIES so my children can further understand who they are, who I am, and who we are in relation to each other.
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I wish my parents had done this. Both of them have already passed away so I can't go and ask them. But I am sure that even if they were alive today, they would only be able to remember certain things, while many others would be lost. 
Possibly one of the greatest gifts you can give your child is your memories. Imagine that your parents had recorded their memories and experiences of you as you were growing up. Not just a photo of you, but their THOUGHTS and MEMORIES of you. Imagine that you could then read or listen to those memories now.
Imagine now that you could record your OWN favourite thoughts and memories of your own children, and perhaps of your own memories of being a parent? What would it be like to revisit those memories when you are older, or even sharing them with your children when they are older?