The people you rely on, the people who rely on you, and the animals who can’t speak for themselves. These pages are short, and they’re the ones someone stepping into your life will need first.
Why it matters
A filing cabinet can wait. A child or a pet can’t. If you’re in an ambulance at nine at night, nobody needs your tax documents. Somebody needs to know who is picking up your kid, what they’re allergic to, where the EpiPen is, and whether the dog gets fed tonight.
Day to day, writing down the short list of people you actually rely on is quietly clarifying: the neighbor with a key, the sitter, the person you call when the furnace quits, the friend who would drop everything.
For a helper, this page is the difference between your unlocked phone, with four hundred names and no way to tell which matter, and a short list with a reason beside every name. “Joyce next door, yellow house, has a key, knows the dog, can take the kids, call her on the first day” tells a stranger exactly why to call.
What to gather
- Where your contacts live: your phone’s contacts app, an old email account, a paper address book, or a holiday card list
- The handful of people someone should call, and why each one matters
- For each child or dependent: where their birth certificate and Social Security card are kept
- Custody or guardianship orders, consent-to-treat forms, and any IEP or 504 plan, and where each one is
- Each pet’s description, microchip number and registry, and license number
- Your vet, feeding routine, medicines, and the quirks only you know
Where to find it
Almost all of it is in your head, which makes this one of the easiest places to start. Set a timer for twenty minutes and work down the list of people first.
For children and dependents, take the legal documents slowly. Note where each original lives and who holds signed copies, and check that nothing has expired.
For pets, your vet’s records and the microchip registry have the official details. If your animal ever gets out, the color and markings, microchip number, and license number are what get them home, and they’re surprisingly hard to produce in a panic.
A free resource
Prepare your pets for disasters (Ready.gov): a free checklist for pet supplies, records, and plans, including what to do if you have to leave home quickly.
What the course adds
The People and Relationships module has four workbook pages: Contacts, Child and Dependent Info, Pet Info, and the Pet Care Record, a running log of vet visits and care. Each lesson shows what a complete page looks like using the Calloway family’s examples.
Because these pages matter so much in an emergency, they come near the top of both paths through the course.
Facts of Life Book Course · $29 · Self-paced · Included in Off The Clock, On Purpose
Keep reading
- The Facts of Life Book: what it is and how the course works
- Create an Emergency Plan
- Wellness and Health Information
Disclaimer: For educational and informational purposes only. This is not medical, financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult appropriate professionals in each area.