My greatest fear is dying with my children the only witnesses - maybe in my home, in my sleep, whatever. Then there would be no one to care for my children until someone knocked on our door (very rare). Being single, do any of you have a safeguard or plan for this kind of thing? I know a few people who have a friend they check in with every day, etc. My children are only 3 and 2 yrs old, so should I tell them about calling 911 or something?
A plan for your children
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Do you have anywhere you regularly have to be? Commitments outside the home? A playgroup, work, classes? Something where you'd be missed? People you email or talk to pretty regularly who would notice your absence?
We live w/my parents, so I don't have this particular fear (though I'm terrified of dying while the kids are minors & my X automatically gets custody).
We live w/my parents, so I don't have this particular fear (though I'm terrified of dying while the kids are minors & my X automatically gets custody).
I think at 3 they can learn about calling 911.
Do you have a list prominently posted about who should be called to come pick up the kids right away if the police should arrive and you are incapacitated or dead? These should be people who live nearby and could get there right away. Be sure to have several alternates listed so that someone can come get the kids and they don't get put into foster care, even for a night.
Here are some links to teaching kids about 911:
http://firstaid.about.com/od/calling...7_911_kids.htm
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstai...ies/help.html#
http://family.findlaw.com/parenting-...ection(3).html (interesting one with a special deep voiced yell for kids to learn to use when they are in trouble)
Do you have a list prominently posted about who should be called to come pick up the kids right away if the police should arrive and you are incapacitated or dead? These should be people who live nearby and could get there right away. Be sure to have several alternates listed so that someone can come get the kids and they don't get put into foster care, even for a night.
Here are some links to teaching kids about 911:
http://firstaid.about.com/od/calling...7_911_kids.htm
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstai...ies/help.html#
http://family.findlaw.com/parenting-...ection(3).html (interesting one with a special deep voiced yell for kids to learn to use when they are in trouble)
We don't have a set schedule for anything right now. No one that I talk to regularly or whom I think would miss me, I really don't know.
I don't know what custody will be like, I'm asking for no overnights.
fek&fuzz, I will check out those links.
And I will teach my DS1 to call 911, he'll be excited to have permission to use the phone, of course!
I don't know what custody will be like, I'm asking for no overnights.
fek&fuzz, I will check out those links.
And I will teach my DS1 to call 911, he'll be excited to have permission to use the phone, of course!
Oh dear, I used to lose a lot of sleep over this issue, but more so when I was actually married. My STBX worked away from home and I always used to wonder what would happen if I had a stroke or heart attack or other sudden death while my first was an infant. I'm sorry if this is excessivley morbid, but I used to imagine her crawling over and trying in vain to breatfeed from my dead body......
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I saw a newborn foal do this once after its mare pased away on our farm and I think it scarred me.
Anyway, certainly there would have been a problem because nobody would have checked on me for many days in my home. And even worse when I went out to do winter farm chores with DD1.
Now that DD1 is 4 yo, my fears are finally alleviated, because she knows how to get help for herself and her 1 yo baby sister now. I still hate the thought of anyone else raising them, but that doesn't terrify me nearly so much
Anyway, certainly there would have been a problem because nobody would have checked on me for many days in my home. And even worse when I went out to do winter farm chores with DD1.
Now that DD1 is 4 yo, my fears are finally alleviated, because she knows how to get help for herself and her 1 yo baby sister now. I still hate the thought of anyone else raising them, but that doesn't terrify me nearly so much
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