It’s something moms never like to think about. We convince ourselves it’s never going to happen. And that is… what will happen to my children if I die? But if we don’t think about it, we could miss a valuable opportunity to protect our children’s futures.
Are you ready if you can’t be there for your child’s future?
I’ve thought about what if my husband dies. He brings in most of our income. So naturally, we got him term life insurance to provide for our family if something happens to him.
But, I also earn money for our family with freelance writing and this blog. I know countless women with businesses selling LulaRoe, books, makeup, and hand-made goods. Freelancers don’t have access to life insurance through an employer the way other people do. That’s one reason most of us put off getting term life insurance. In fact, only about 50% of women have life insurance [1]. With so many of us women helping provide for our families, we need life insurance as much as men.
And stay-at-home-moms… let’s not undervalue ourselves! Consider all the things we do provide for our family. If I died without life insurance, there’s a significant impact on my family, even though I’m not the primary earner.
Since I’m our kid’s childcare provider, my husband would have to pay for childcare before and after school! Childcare for a four-year-old can average $13,000 a year! And even more for infant care! [2]
Bereavement leave, potential relocation, and child care costs would all be added expenses for a spouse.
Here are some of my top concerns:
Who will homeschool my kids? Recently after attending several graduations, I have a clearer vision for the type of education I’d like to provide for our boys. Without me, they’ll have to go to traditional school, but…which one? We can’t afford private school now, so without extra monetary support, they will not get the kind of education we’ve envisioned.
Who will ensure they get extra curricular activities for a well-rounded education? I drive the kids to co-op, music lessons, swim lessons, and other activities – mostly during my husband’s work hours. We work on service projects and gardening adventures. Who will do that for and with them?
Who will coordinate family vacations full of wild outdoor adventures? I do all the packing and prepping, booking and schedule coordinating. It’s kind of my thing and I’m good at juggling a busy calendar.
I am blessed that my husband CAN and DOES do a lot of these things already, but… I tend to be the “creative visionary” of the family who invents a lot of our adventures.
I worry about my children’s quality of life if I am absent. While money can’t buy the intangibles of a nurturing mom, financial support after a death in the family can reduce additional strain and stress on a grieving spouse.
Maybe you haven’t gotten life insurance because it’s too painful to think about? Or maybe you’re worried about how complicated the process might be?
Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to get an inexpensive term life insurance plan. These days, you can even get one without an in-person medical exam or requests for testing, just a handful of health questions.
I’ve gone online and gotten a quote in less than five minutes. I spent a little time playing around with the length and amount of coverage to see different options.
Getting term life insurance now can help you secure the future of your children.
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[1] LIMRA Life Insurance Ownership in Focus, U.S. Person-Level Trends: 2016
[2] Child Care Aware® of America, Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2016
[3] 2017 LIMRA Insurance Barometer Study
