Did you know that November is Child Safety and Protection Month?  No?  Honestly…I didn’t either.  I tend to think of the safety of our children as a minute-by-minute consideration not just something to think about one month out of the year.  And I’m sure many parents feel the same way.  It is nice that there is a month dedicated to raising awareness of such an important topic.  It may be cliche, but our children are the future.

If you peruse the website and periodicals for information on this topic you will find information on preventing childhood accidents, advice for childcare providers, ways to make your home safer for your children, and many more topics.  Whoa – something is missing!

I didn’t come across any articles on taking the critical steps to make sure your children are protected and provided for if something happened to you.  As a Grand Rapids estate planning lawyer,I’m sure you knew I would bring up estate planning.  I’m glad someone did!  Now maybe I’m just not a good “googler,” but I think the fact that I was unable to find a single article about the importance of Estate Planning in the context of this month says a lot about how most people view estate planning.  They likely think it is for “old” people who need to plan for their death.  Quite the contrary!

I firmly believe that estate planning is most important for Grand Rapids parents with minor children and that planning for life (yours and theirs) is the key to an estate plan that brings the added peace of mind we all desire.  Yet, as parents, we tend to think of “child protection” and “child safety” only in the physical sense – not getting physically hurt.  I have come to learn through conversations with people whose parents passed away when they were children, the emotional hurt of losing their parents is far worse . . . and worse still if they are thrown into “the court system” and a judge determines who cares for the children.

None of us are invincible . . . you only need to read the daily news to know that life happens.  So I encourage you, let this Child Safety and Protection Month be a “wake up” call to get an estate plan in place for your family and have the added peace of mind of knowing your children will be provided for and cared for if something happened to you.

Call our office at 616-827-7596 in the month of November to schedule a Peace of Mind Planning Session and I will waive the session fee ($750 value!).  Make sure to mention this blog post to take advantage of this special offer!

Michael Lichterman is an estate planning attorney who helps families and business owners create a lasting legacy by planning for their Whole Family Wealth™.  This goes beyond merely planning for finances – it’s about who your are and what’s important to you.  He focuses on planning for  the “experienced” generation, the “sandwich generation” (caring for parents and children), doctors/physicians, nurses, lawyers, dentists, professionals with minor children, and family owned business succession – and he is privileged to do so from a Christian perspective.  He takes the “counselor” part of attorney and counselor at law very seriously, and enjoys creating life long relationships with his clients – many of which have become great friends.