Parent Team Commons

A calm, private space where parents of kids on the same team coordinate logistics, help each other, and build community—without the chaos of group chats or social media.

Status: ✅ MVP Complete (95%) Live At: https://benchd.spuzzed.com Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: January 13, 2026

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What Is This?

Parent Team Commons is a parent-led coordination and social web application for parents whose children participate on the same team. It replaces chaotic WhatsApp groups and Facebook threads with a focused, calm platform designed specifically for parent coordination.

Core Philosophy

• Parents First: Every feature designed around parent needs
• Coordination Over Control: Enable coordination, don't enforce rules
• Trust Through Shared Reality: Trust established through shared children and teams
• Lightweight & Calm: No complexity, enforcement, or gamification

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Key Features

✅ Implemented

Authentication & Access

• Devise-based signup/login
• Child-anchored trust model
• Co-parenting support (multiple parents per child)
• No child accounts (safety first)

Team Management

• Create teams with auto-generated invite codes
• Add/claim children to gain access
• View team roster (parents and children)
• Display claimed/unclaimed children

Team Commons

• Post plain-text messages to team feed
• Chronological message display
• Author attribution
• Team-scoped visibility

Events & Coordination

• Create events (practices, games, tournaments, gatherings)
• Full event details (date, time, location, notes)
• List upcoming and past events
• Event creator attribution

RSVP System

• Three-state RSVP: Going / Maybe / Can't Go
• Visual color-coded buttons
• Live RSVP counts per event
• Update anytime

Event Discussions

• Event-specific message threads
• Coordinate carpools, snacks, logistics
• Isolated from Team Commons
• Same clean interface

🚧 Planned (Post-MVP)

• Signup lists for snacks, supplies, BBQs
• Invite code lookup/join flow
• Edit/delete messages and events
• Mute/leave team functionality
• Email notifications
• Mobile PWA setup
• Equipment exchange tags

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The Trust Model

Core Rule (Non-Negotiable)

A parent may only access a team through a child associated with that team.

This means:

• Parents do NOT join teams directly
• Parents must add or claim a child to gain access
• No child → no team access
• Children do NOT have accounts

How It Works

User (Parent) ──[Guardianship]──► Child ──► Team

This trust chain:

• Prevents random access without heavy admin controls
• Supports co-parenting naturally
• Maintains safety around minors
• Keeps teams private and focused

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Tech Stack

• Framework: Ruby on Rails 8.1.2
• Database: PostgreSQL 16 (Docker)
• Authentication: Devise 4.9.4
• Frontend: Server-rendered HTML + Turbo + Stimulus
• Styling: Inline styles (prototyping phase)
• Deployment: Development server on port 3005

Data Model

9 core tables:

1. users - Parent accounts
2. teams - Team context with invite codes
3. children - Trust anchors (no accounts)
4. guardianships - Parent-child join table
5. events - Coordination anchors
6. messages - Team Commons + Event threads
7. rsvps - Event responses
8. signup_lists - Event coordination lists
9. signup_items - Claimable items

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Ruby 3.4.7
• Rails 8.1.2
• PostgreSQL 16
• Docker (for PostgreSQL)

Installation

# Clone the repository
cd TeamParent

# Install dependencies
bundle install

# Start PostgreSQL
docker run -d \
  --name teamparent-postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  postgres:16-alpine

# Setup database
rails db:create db:migrate

# Start server
rails server -p 3005 -b 0.0.0.0

Visit http://localhost:3005

First User Flow

1. Sign up as a parent
2. Create a team
3. Add your child's first name
4. Get your invite code
5. Post to Team Commons
6. Create an event
7. RSVP and discuss

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Project Structure

TeamParent/
├── app/
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── teams_controller.rb
│   │   ├── children_controller.rb
│   │   ├── events_controller.rb
│   │   ├── messages_controller.rb
│   │   └── rsvps_controller.rb
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── user.rb
│   │   ├── team.rb
│   │   ├── child.rb
│   │   ├── guardianship.rb
│   │   ├── event.rb
│   │   ├── message.rb
│   │   ├── rsvp.rb
│   │   ├── signup_list.rb
│   │   └── signup_item.rb
│   └── views/
│       ├── teams/
│       ├── children/
│       ├── events/
│       └── home/
├── db/
│   ├── migrate/ (9 migrations)
│   └── schema.rb
├── docs/
│   ├── data-model.md
│   ├── authorization.md
│   ├── migrations.md
│   └── models.md
├── CLAUDE.md (project instructions)
├── spec.md (product specification)
├── BUILD_STATUS.md (current status)
└── README.md (this file)

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Documentation

For Developers

• CLAUDE.md - Project instructions and constraints
• spec.md - Complete product specification
• docs/data-model.md - ERD and model documentation
• docs/authorization.md - Trust model and authorization queries
• docs/migrations.md - All migration SQL
• docs/models.md - Complete model code reference

For Product

• spec.md - Product requirements and philosophy
• BUILD_STATUS.md - Current implementation status

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Key Routes

Authentication

• GET /users/sign_up - Registration
• GET /users/sign_in - Login
• DELETE /users/sign_out - Logout

Teams

• GET /teams - List accessible teams
• GET /teams/new - Create team form
• POST /teams - Create team
• GET /teams/:id - Team detail + Team Commons

Children

• GET /teams/:team_id/children/new - Add/claim child
• POST /teams/:team_id/children - Create/claim child

Messages

• POST /teams/:team_id/messages - Post to Team Commons
• POST /teams/:team_id/events/:event_id/messages - Post to event thread

Events

• GET /teams/:team_id/events - Event list
• GET /teams/:team_id/events/new - Create event form
• POST /teams/:team_id/events - Create event
• GET /teams/:team_id/events/:id - Event detail

RSVPs

• POST /teams/:team_id/events/:event_id/rsvps - Create/update RSVP

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Design Principles

What This Is

• A private parent commons
• Built for coordination and logistics
• Focused on trust and safety
• Unofficial and non-authoritative

What This Is NOT

• A team management system
• A coach or league tool
• A stats or standings tracker
• A marketplace
• A general social network

Technical Principles

• Fat models, thin controllers
• No service objects unless unavoidable
• Explicit associations
• Database constraints matter
• Boring, readable Rails code
• Server-rendered HTML preferred

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Safety & Privacy

Non-Negotiables

• No child accounts
• Minimize PII (first names only)
• No dates of birth
• No addresses
• No medical information
• Private, invite-only teams

Controls Available

• Parents can mute threads (planned)
• Parents can block others (planned)
• Parents can leave teams (planned)
• Access strictly child-anchored

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Contributing

This is a focused product with a locked specification. Before contributing:

1. Read CLAUDE.md for project constraints
2. Read spec.md for product philosophy
3. Understand the trust model in docs/authorization.md
4. Follow Rails conventions strictly
5. No features outside the spec without discussion

Code Style

• Use rubocop for linting
• Write clear, explicit code
• Avoid premature abstraction
• Test critical paths
• Document complex authorization logic

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License

[To be determined]

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Contact & Support

Live URL: https://benchd.spuzzed.com Status: Development MVP Feedback: [To be determined]

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Changelog

v1.0.0 (2026-01-13) - MVP Complete

• ✅ Authentication with Devise
• ✅ Team creation with invite codes
• ✅ Child management (add/claim)
• ✅ Team Commons message feed
• ✅ Event creation and listing
• ✅ RSVP functionality
• ✅ Event-scoped discussions
• ✅ Child-anchored authorization
• ✅ PostgreSQL data model
• ✅ Docker deployment setup

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Built with ❤️ for parents who just want to coordinate without chaos.