Preparing for the Inevitable

This weekend was an exciting time for all of us.  My parents came to visit and celebrate Maya’s First Communion.  A major milestone in her life indeed.  Maya was absolutely beside herself waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive.  She’s very close to them and I love watching the three of them interact together.  My parents are in their 70s and Ernesto and I are in our mid-40s.  We’ve been having discussions recently around the ‘what ifs’ if something should happen to us.  Topics such as estate planning, allocation of assets and most importantly, who will care for Maya if we should pass on.  Those are difficult choices that many people avoid until it’s too late.  It’s taken me years to make the decision to take these steps.  No one wants to think about leaving this world without contingencies in place.  But as a parent of a young child, we realize how essential this is.  Going through the court probate system following a loved one’s death is no fun.  Ernesto and his brothers went through this arduous process when his mother passed in 2007.  However the boys were grown adults so it was a slightly different situation.  As we begin to imagine who will be the best person to look after Maya, we gently asked for her thoughts.  We feel it’s important to help her understand potential life events…but, of course, we kept the conversation as light as we could.  She responded very matter of factly with “I can take care of myself, Mom.  I don’t need a guardian.”  I just chuckled.  This did not surprise me in the least.  She’s always been very independent, going back to her toddler years 😉  In any event, it gives me peace of mind to know that Maya will be in good hands until her adulthood.  First and foremost, we always live each day to the fullest (well…as best we can) and enjoy our daughter’s special moments such as today.  Congratulations Maya!  We’re so proud.  Thanks to everyone for visiting.