Modern Families by Phil Runyon

Modern Families

Let's start with the situation that sends a shiver through every parent - what to do if one of the kids is missing (heaven forbid).  Well, if you've really determined that's the case - the child's not just at a friend's house without your knowledge, or didn't get off the bus because he/she got sent to detention and missed the usual ride - you should certainly start with the local police department.  Then, depending on what you think may have happened, you can also contact the State Police Missing Persons Section of the Major Crimes Unit at 603-223-3856 or [email protected].

And if you take the belt and suspenders approach to things, you can also check out the FBI's Child ID app, where you can store photos and all sorts of information about your children that would be extremely helpful to the authorities in the event of trouble.  Here's one of the success stories the app references:  "One of the app’s questions prompted the boy’s father to remember an unusual characteristic of his boy’s front teeth. The captured data, along with the child’s digital image, was sent to FBI offices.  Armed with detailed info, the FBI was able to issue an extremely detailed press release about the boy. And hours later, the child was abandoned by his captors, recognized in a busy office park by a bystander and reunited with his parents."  

Let's also talk about when the kids go visit grandma and grandpa because you're off to ride motor bikes in Bermuda for a week!  First of all, get your own planning in order, because those things slide all over the road when you get caught in a shower.  Then, you should probably consider some arrangements for the grandfolks to be able to get medical care for the kids if one of them has a health hiccup while you're gone.  And if it's during the school year, you might combine that with authorization for the folks to act in loco parentis with the administration about all sorts of educational issues - all the way from picking the kids up for those doctor visits, to discussing attendance and disciplinary issues, even giving approval for a school trip or Friday night rollerskating.  Needless to say, this all becomes more and more important the longer you plan to be away from the little guys.  If it's just a long weekend, you may not want to bother with anything at all, but if you're heading off to spend a year with Habitat for Humanity, it would be critical - but so would your own planning in that event.

In order to help with the arrangements, we'll be happy to send you a self-explanatory form you might consider.  And one way to test whether it will achieve the desired results would be to provide it to the kids' pediatrician and principal for pre-approval.  If they balk, or if they want other specific language included, it would help to know that and try to do something about it before you leave town.  Bon voyage!


Posted 05/22/2015 - Misc.