When it comes to our sweet children, no one likes to talk about the uncomfortable, possibly deadly stuff (like THIS), but my motto is this: better to prepare for the unlikely event you’ll need a Medical Power of Attorney form than to be without such a power if needed in an emergency.
Whew. That’s a long motto.
My dear friend Jonna, one of the hippest, coolest, laser-focused, funnest (yes, funnest) lawyers around, got me to thinking about being prepared. She shared THIS LINK for a children’s Medical Power of Attorney on her lawyery site. Take a few minutes and check it out. While you’re there…print it.
HEAD’S UP, BUTTERCUPS: If you are in or around the Houston area and need help with planning your estate, she’s your gal. Check out her site HERE.
Sweet E is just getting to the age where he’ll be in my care or G-Daddy’s care, sans parents. God forbid we encounter a medical emergency while his parents are out of pocket, but if we do, we will have done two things prior to help us through the crisis.
#1: We will have a signed and notarized Medical Power of Attorney for Sweet E’s care.
#2: We will have discussed Boy and Girl’s wishes concerning the care of E, should we find ourselves in the position to make medical decisions in their place.
Having a Medical Power of Attorney is nothing new. Years ago, we had one for Boy each time we left him in his grandparent’s care. Knowing they knew our wishes and knowing that they would step in for us (we trusted them implicitly), allowed us peace of mind when Boy wasn’t with us.
The thing about getting this form, filling it out and getting it notarized is that people tend to put such things off because hurt kids are hard to think about. No one wants to imagine that they would ever need a Medical Power of Attorney. I say, push all that aside and take a few moments to download and print the form. Talk it over with whomever you need to talk it over with, then get thee to a notary and make things legal.
Jonna informs me that often times, a notary can be found in FedEx or UPS stores. Handy! Of course, you can also rely on banks and credit unions and sometimes libraries.
No more putting this important task off, my babies. Your peace of mind and your children’s medical care is worth the effort.
Now that I’ve got a children’s Medical POA and a giant bubblewrap stash, bring on the overnight stays at Camp OMT!