It's that time of year again. The kids are off to college. It's a little different for me this year because I'm sending my second daughter off to school. While I'm very excited for her, as a parent I'm naturally concerned about the "what ifs" of life.
You hear so many stories of tragedies on college campuses, from drinking binges to sorority and fraternity hazing, and we're all confident that will never happen to our kids. But, whether it does or doesn't, one of the greatest things that concerns us about our kids is their health. Imagine something happened to your children and when you went to help you didn't have the legal authority to do so. That would take a horrifying incident and make it even worse, but without preparation it can happen. Healthcare proxies and powers of attorney are essential for any child you are sending off to college.
The reality is that, when your child turns 18, you no longer have any legal authority or say over them, personally or legally. While they call this "independence" and the kids are excited to get a taste of it, should a need arise, you will be the one they will want there first and foremost. It's absolutely essential that if that ever occurs you are legally authorized to be there to support them.
A healthcare proxy is a simple document that authorizes another individual to make any healthcare-related decisions for you. It is crucial that your children execute a healthcare proxy prior to going to college so you understand their wishes. More importantly, you would have the authority to act if something should happen to them and would avoid the legal complications involved without the proxy.
Similarly, a power of attorney is another important document that grants you the legal authority to handle legal or financial issues for your child while at school. So many times in the past I have contacted my older daughter's college and they were unwilling to talk to me about anything related to her needs. Having a power of attorney for my daughter, I was quickly able to forward that to them and get access to all the information I needed. In many cases they even sent me whatever additional paperwork they required, which I then had my daughter complete.
Don't send your kids off to college without being prepared. You got them their refrigerator, their microwave, and most importantly their TV and computer. Make sure they also have their healthcare proxy and power of attorney, the things that are really the most important.
