Why You Need Life Insurance For Your Kids

I’m just going to bluntly come out and say it.  You NEED life insurance for your kids.

There.  It’s out there.

This is such a taboo topic and no one wants to talk about it.  I get it I didn’t want to talk about it either.  Admittedly, I didn’t even understand when I was first presented with the idea.

It was a week after having Skibbles.  Andrew called to have her added to our medical insurance plan and the operator asked if we would like to have life insurance for her added to our plan.  It was optional, but they highly recommended it.  The operator must have heard the hesitation and confusion in Andrew’s voice because he quickly explained that in the event of a tragic accident or situation that we would be in a much better place with life insurance than without it.

We both looked at each other.  LIFE INSURANCE!? She was barely a week old.  7 days.  168 hours.  And I was having to ponder something fatally tragic happening to this life I was holding in my arms.  So calm and still.  I was instantly brought to tears at the thought.

But we did it.  Because you just never know.  And when Baby Love was born, we did it again.  A split second car accident.  A childhood cancer diagnosis.  A fatal dog bite.  These things that you put way in the back of your mind because you don’t even want to consider it.  It happens to families every day.  Many families that can afford a few cents coming out of their paycheck but couldn’t afford it if happened immediately.  That’s why we did it.

And it’s why I beg other families to consider it.

But.  You must also have it for yourself too. Just like we don’t know what will happen with our children, we don’t know what will happen to ourselves either.  Life insurance is used to cover funeral/burial expenses, pay off creditor debt, help cover child’s college education, pay the mortgage, or other financial needs.

Right now, is the optimal time to consider adding life insurance to your policy.  Most companies in the U.S. do fall open enrollment season.  This is when employees can review what benefits are offered to them and what policies best fit their needs. An Aflac survey found that in 2014, 34% of employees spent less than 15 minutes researching their options.  These will be the decisions that make up the next year of your coverage, so it’s very important to weight them thoroughly.

We never expect an unforeseen medical event, so it’s better to be proactive and on top of this in the event that you are faced with a tragic event.  While no one truly likes to discuss this, it’s the right time that we do so.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.