TITUS 2-SDAY - MEDICAL EMERGENCY

(Today's idea comes from my Mom. She recommended this to me many years ago, when my children were still small, and it's definitely a suggestion worth sharing.)

Several years ago, my in-laws were keeping my little niece while her parents traveled overseas for a vacation in France. A medical emergency arose - my niece somehow broke a glass storm door and suffered a very bad gash in one leg as a result. Grammy and Granddad applied first aid and rushed to the emergency room, only to find that it would be impossible to get necessary treatment without the approval of the child's parents...who were half a world away in France and unable to be reached. After a many-hours, nerve-wracking delay, Grammy and Granddad were able to secure a legal document from a local judge granting them permission to seek medical treatment for their grand-daughter. Their ordeal was an absolute nightmare - not one any childcare provider would want to have to endure. Which leads me to today's Titus 2-sday idea....

Per my Mom's instructions, I have prepared for each of my children an I.D. packet. We had photo ID cards of each child made at our local Driver's Testing Center. These look basically like a Tennessee Driver's license - except for the small red print at the bottom that reads, "Not valid for the operation of any vehicle." I believe the fee for having the ID cards made was about $5 apiece.

Then, I went to Wal-Mart and purchased some baseball card covers. These are small plastic protective sleeves made for folks who collect baseball cards, pokemon cards, etc. (I believe they were in the toy department - my memory is a little faded after so many years!) Very cheap.

Back at home, I made photocopies of each child's insurance card. I also typed up and printed a medical release form for each kid which included mine and my husband's phone numbers, basic information about the particular child, and authorization for Grammy and/or Granddad to seek medical attention for my child should they need it. I saved the form in my computer, and can easily and quickly print up release forms with the name of another caregiver as needed.

Then, I put an ID card, a copy of the insurance card, and the signed medical release (folded-up, of course!) into a plastic baseball card cover. All these are kept in a ziploc baggie in an assigned location. The few times that Steve and I have traveled without the kids, I've taken the baggie of ID's to Grammy's. Also, Grammy knows where we store the ID's here at home, in case she needs them when we're not officially "on the road."

Having everything together in a handy location makes remembering to take care of this important piece of business pretty easy. If your kids are ever cared for by grandparents, a baby-sitter, or another adult, I highly recommend making your own ID kits - it's good advice from Mom!