herrchook

I was having a lovely chat with my 6yo this morning when quite out of the blue she aske dwhere she and her sister would live if her Dad and I both died. I reassured her we weren't going anywhere but that if that ever happened she would go stay with her grandparents in Scotland. She then replied with "but Mummy, I don't know their number or their address so how could I get them to come for us?".

I was shocked to the core, not only at the gravity of her question and comprehension of a trickly subject but because this is one subject which is all our planning to come here, we'd overlooked.

So, in haste, I emailed a couple of good friends with my Mum and Dad's address and number and also my brother's details. I've also told my 6 yo that I'll put a slip of paper in her top drawer for emergency use with friends' nnumbers here and her family in the UK too.

I sincerely hope that this is overkill, but you just never know do you, and it just never occured to OH nor I that if we had an accident, no one would know how to gt in touch with family quickly.

Might be worth adding to your to do list.

Stitch

Wow! Kids come away with some stuff sometimes. Just when you think that it's all play going on in their heads. Will definately be giving that some thought.

Cheers

Ginny

LIBBY

Something you really dont think about.....

More worried about where we are going to stay etc,

Glad you posted this Herrchook, thank you.....must sort something out just in case.

LibbyX

pasty legs

I thought about exactly the same thing the other night. I work in the emergency department as an admin officer in Townsville and thought what if something happened to myself and my husband in the same accident. I have put a good friend down as a contact and then given her a list of emergency contacts just in case.
I couldn't bear the thought of my children going into care if there were no other contact people. It was something I wouldn't have thought about only seeing some people really badly hurt not being able to give us any information.

Sara x

pasty legs

Also before I forget, not to be doom and gloom but it is a good idea to have another emergency contact who you trust in your purse or wallet.

pinkmcfarquhar

a tip which was passed on to me by my sister in law is that it's worth storing emergency contacts in your mobile as ICE (in case of emergency). so if something does happen, emergency services can go straight to your emergency contacts - not having to search through list to find most likely contact. Mine has OH, then mum, then brother, then friend.

ray2gill

How many people have ICE on their mobile phones?

ICE - Incase of emergency.

Enter ICE 1 contact number
ICE 2 contact number etc

It is internationally recognized that emergency rescue services will check a casualties mobile phone for ICE numbers if the person concerned is unable to communicate with their rescuers an immediate family or friend contact number.

Also always make sure you have the name & address of someone who is not immediate family in your passport. Someone who you would not normally travel with.

I have my husband, son & daughter under ICE but as we sometimes all travel together have my father-in-law in the UK in my passport.

I'm a great believer of if you are prepared it won't happen.

herrchook

I have ICE in my mobile but only one number, I like your idea of having more than one. Thanks for the tip.

donna

Yeah,my 9 year old was asking about me and hubby dying the other day ,but that was in relation to who would get our money!!! compassionate soul that she is.
donna

Sandra

Having been here six years I forgot we set this up - Kids now 15 and 18 and capable of calling UK for themselves.

We asked another expat couple to be our "contacts" lucky in the early days they agreed and still being best mates we have not had to change. It actually bought us all closer when we first came over knowing if we needed that emergency for our kids they would be there.

With me travelling and hubby working shifts there have been times when the lack of family has hit home, something that added to my homesickness very much.

JAJ

Entirely seriously, you can manage this risk by limiting the extent to which you travel together.

Having the right life insurance, wills etc should always be at top of your priority list too.

Pomster

We put this in our joint wills.
Toddler will go to family in UK, but until they can come to collect x and x will look after her.
We are determined she will not go into foster care even temporarily.

DunRoaminTheUK

It would also make sense to make sure that you have a will in place if, god forbid, this situation ever plays itself out.

If there is no indication of beneficiaries after both of the parents have died then I think it can become a messy and protracted situation and the kids may lose out?

We need to do both of these things as a matter of urgency.

ray2gill

There is also the point that if you have young children then you are usually all travelling together. You need to make clear in a will who your estate would go to in the event that you were all involved in a fatal accident. We did this because we were all travelling back and forth to the middle east every few weeks.

I know this is a terrible thing to have to think about but at least the eventuality is covered and you can put it out of your mind.

It's a good idea to let someone know who has your will i.e. which solicitor etc.

herrchook

Def top of our list of to dos now.