• We must make provision for the eventual scenario of our absence in their lives
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My husband and I are at the crucial point in our relationship where we are trying to document our last wishes for our son in the event something happens to us before he reaches the age of maturity.
To be honest, it is not an easy thing to think about a world in which you are no longer living. It’s even harder to discuss such matters with your partner and worse still, to reconcile your last wishes. However, as crude as it sounds, it is necessary for the benefit of those you leave behind.
Every parent wants to live a long and healthy life to see their offsprings grow up and flourish. We want to hold our children’s hands as we guide them through their toughest times and we want to cheer the loudest when they excel. None of us wants to imagine a world where we cannot be there for our children, and by God’s grace, we will be there for them as long as we can.
However, we must make provision for the eventual scenario of our absence in their lives. I firmly believe that as crude as talking about legacy is, it’s even more cruel to leave behind a chaotic undefined path for our loved ones to follow in our absence. This is especially true and essential for children who are minors. As parents, we owe them an easy childhood that will prepare them for a future where they are capable adults.
Every time I look into my child’s eyes, I know that I want him to live the same life I have dreamed for him since birth. Whether I am alive or not, I want him to have the same fulfilment out of life. This is perhaps the hardest thing I have had to do in my entire life, because to plan for the best outcome for my successor, I have to imagine the worst-case scenario.
I don't have much to my name, but I realised that writing a will is not just about division of assets. It is a formal declaration of your wishes and desires for what should happen to the people you leave behind. For instance, I could have a specific thing I want my child to experience in his life, but if I do not share it with anyone or enforce it in any way, then that wish will never come true.
If there is anything I dread more than my own demise, it’s the thought that my child will suffer because of poor planning in my absence. As such, I have decided to take the dreaded route of preparing for a world without my presence in it.