Heed to all the kids out there: NO, your parents are not invincible.
My father is Superman to me. He is strong, generous, and witty. Then one night, he just slipped. Like gravity finally sucked him in. It was the first time I saw him in a hospital bed. The years finally caught up with Superman.
As kids, we know the flight plan of our future: get a job, move out, maybe start a family. But we turn a blind eye to the imminent stopovers. And more often than not, it includes taking care of Superman whose suit is fading.
What to do, you ask? Before reality bites you, kid, educate yourself about your family’s financial stature. Be in the know. Meddle. Better yet, turn everything into joint accounts – because it pays to be armed and prepared when super heroes hit the ground.
Pa, where is your money?
Come on, we are no longer money-starved college kids who pad our tuition fees every semester. Sit down with your parents, put on a serious face, and share with each other your money chests. Passbook accounts, ATMs, nuclear-powered piggy banks – divulge everything.
Ma, how is your insurance?
Woe is you if your parents are not even PhilHealth members. Let’s face it: treatment is so expensive it may well be a luxury. So get an insurance policy if you still don’t have one. And beef up your health coverage. The many years your parents waited for you to come home late at night led to brittle bones and tired heart. It’s payback time.
Dad, what are our properties?
Is this house we are living in already ours, or will tito and tita ask for their share? Are you in debt? Is that earring really worth something, or will the pawnshop laugh at my face? Are you starting to get annoyed? Good. Less drama when the real emergency comes screeching in.
Funeral plans, anyone?
It’s morbid, not to mention a thankless job. Still, someone’s got to do it. Blame it on the cycle of life. Delay it for a few days. But arrange these things beforehand. Because the hardest part of being an adult is to control the things you can, while letting go of the things you can’t.
