Do you ever wish you were given an instructions manual for how to be a parent? I know I do.
I remember getting in the car to drive away from the hospital with my wife and newborn daughter and wondering where the instruction manual was for me as a new parent to take care of this beautiful baby girl.
As parents, we quickly discover that parenting is the ultimate on-the-job training. You learn on the fly. And if you're anything like me, you sometimes sit on the couch after the kids have gone to bed, and ponder just how in the world two siblings could have such different personalities.
You see the similarities and are often left shaking your head at the differences. You begin to appreciate your children's strengths, their challenges, and their many differences. You learn that the way to motivate and correct can vary significantly from child to child.
If something were to happen to you, how do you as a parent make sure that everything you've learned: your wealth of knowledge, your experience about what makes your children tick, is passed along to your guardians in the event they were ever called on to act?
In my practice, we do this by providing our clients with a tool that they can use to capture what they know about their children, how they would want their children raised, and pass that information along to their guardians in the event they were ever called on to act.
As a parent, it's very important to provide written instructions for a potential guardian of your children. Your guardians will also appreciate having your guidance if they are called upon.