The reality of COVID-19 has forced many individuals to address the “what if” scenarios that were previously unthinkable, or at least the situations that no one ever wants to talk about or deal with.
This is true especially of parents with young children. My husband and I have 3 kids, a son who is 3 1/2 and twin 1 1/2-year old daughters. We are taking all the recommended precautions…social distancing, hand washing, sanitizing, working remotely whenever possible, and staying home whenever it isn’t essential to leave.
But the most difficult questions we have had to ask ourselves are “What if it isn’t enough? If we get sick, what will happen to our children?” Even as I write this article, those questions cause an immediate knot in my stomach and bring a worried, fearful tear to my eye. I don’t even want to imagine a world in which we are not a happy, healthy family.
But, as a parent and as an estate planning attorney, I know that I can’t let those questions slide. I can’t bury them down deep and not think about them.
We’ve had the difficult conversations and made the difficult decisions about who will care for our children should the day ever come when we cannot. We’ve signed legal documents appointing people to critical roles in our children’s lives:
- first responders – those people who have immediate authority to step in and care for our children at a moment’s notice
- temporary and permanent guardians – those people who we trust to raise our children with the values that we consider important
- medical powers of attorney – granting certain people the ability to make health care decisions for our children if we cannot
I encourage you to have these conversations with your family and take the steps necessary to ensure the care and safety of your children. If you would like to discuss these documents with one of our attorneys, please call our office at 508-994-5200 and we can arrange a virtual meeting from the comfort of your own home.