This summer my husband and I are preparing for a 14-day trip that will take us to the other side of the planet. We are going to South Africa to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine, and we will be there a few weeks — alone — without our two preschool-aged children. While I’m super excited, I’ve never been away from my kids any longer than a weekend or farther than Northern California, so I’m ever so slightly nervous.
It’s natural to feel some guilt about leaving kids to go on vacation, but friends we know had many positive things to say. “It's a good chance to see what your kids are capable of doing with someone else; sometimes they surprise you and grow up in amazing ways when you leave them alone,” says Luke Jones, a father of three from Charlottesville, …show more content…
However, a letter authorizing [caregivers] to consent to medical or dental care is sufficient in non-emergency situations,” says Amy Johnson of the Oregon Health Sciences University legal department.
If the caregivers in charge of your children are not the same people named as the guardians in your will, a temporary guardianship form gives them permission to make decisions and sign documents (like permission slips or school enrollment forms) on their behalf.
Make a detailed, informational binder/packet
To a former project manager like me, the actions of compiling documents in a three-ring binder and ticking off lists are the stress-reducing equivalent of five minutes in downward-facing dog pose. Some parents are more laid back and some caregivers already know the daily routine, but I took nothing for granted.
Our binder includes:
Official (kid) documents: passports, immunization records, insurance cards, official birth certificates
Daily guidance: typical schedules, food preferences by brand with any allergy considerations, localized activity guide and outing
It’s natural to feel some guilt about leaving kids to go on vacation, but friends we know had many positive things to say. “It's a good chance to see what your kids are capable of doing with someone else; sometimes they surprise you and grow up in amazing ways when you leave them alone,” says Luke Jones, a father of three from Charlottesville, …show more content…
However, a letter authorizing [caregivers] to consent to medical or dental care is sufficient in non-emergency situations,” says Amy Johnson of the Oregon Health Sciences University legal department.
If the caregivers in charge of your children are not the same people named as the guardians in your will, a temporary guardianship form gives them permission to make decisions and sign documents (like permission slips or school enrollment forms) on their behalf.
Make a detailed, informational binder/packet
To a former project manager like me, the actions of compiling documents in a three-ring binder and ticking off lists are the stress-reducing equivalent of five minutes in downward-facing dog pose. Some parents are more laid back and some caregivers already know the daily routine, but I took nothing for granted.
Our binder includes:
Official (kid) documents: passports, immunization records, insurance cards, official birth certificates
Daily guidance: typical schedules, food preferences by brand with any allergy considerations, localized activity guide and outing