When you become a parent, your life will be forever changed. This is going far beyond the stage of their life where you are their sole provider and caretaker. As you speak to your doctors, and your personal network, read books, and listen to podcasts you are going to be flooded with ways to take care of your family that might seem intuitive, so here are three less common ways to do so that you may have not considered quite yet.
Having Life Insurance
For most people, it feels incredibly morbid to talk about what will happen after they are gone, but the truth is that as a parent you really need to. Things like a will or medical directive are great but one true way to ensure that your family will be provided for financially when you are no longer around is to take out a life insurance policy. If you are unsure where to start, luckily there are platforms online with established partnerships created to help you even in the very beginning stages.
Being able to shop for personalized life insurance rates in one place gives you an advantage in terms of comparison capabilities and is also incredibly efficient. With so many different plans and policies to choose from, take your specific family and needs into account when making your selection. Remember this is about protecting them not some general, non-specific goal.
Participate in Big Life Decisions
Giving children autonomy and independence as they grow up is a must, but some parents take that to the extreme and adopt the 18 years and our philosophy. The truth is, your kids are going to need you their entire life, how they need you is the only thing that changes. Learning how to participate in their big life decisions such as finding the best university when college time arrives, buying their first home, and when/if they become a parent themselves, without hovering or smothering shows them that you are both there for them as well as allowing them their own space to consider these decisions independently.
Take Care of Your Health
When it all boils down to the basics, the best way to take care of your family is to be around for them as long as possible. Taking care of your physical and mental health as a top priority will ensure that you are doing everything you can to live a long and healthy life. Incorporating healthy eating habits and daily movement are two simple ways to achieve this. However, you should also understand that keeping up with well visits at the doctor or medical house calls, prioritizing healthy social lifestyle choices, and getting enough sleep are all pieces of the puzzle as well.
Research what you can do on the preventative side as well. Talk to your doctor about any pre-existing conditions that you have or any genetic predispositions that might increase your risk of certain ailments. In many cases, prevention is the best medicine and the earlier you can work on reducing your risk, the better.
