I was having lunch with one of my very best friends yesterday. We were discussing how quickly our kids grow up. He and his wife had just returned the day prior from attending their oldest son’s college graduation. As he was telling me about the fun of the graduation process and the self-centeredness that is so apparent in youth, he chuckled and shared a cute story…

In 1990, when their son was only 2 years old, my buddy had been correcting his young son (as most 2-year-olds need to be corrected). My friend had told his son repeatedly to stop doing something that was dangerous…and after being told 4 or 5 times, the young lad calmly walked over to his daddy – put his young hands on either side of dad’s face and said with all the sincerity he could muster, “Daddy – don’t you know?…”MY do what MY wants to!!”

That story has been told in my friend’s family time and time again. While they raised two additional kids, the story served as a constant reminder that while kids may think that the world revolves around them and allows them to do anything and everything they want, we, as parents and adults, really do know what is best for our children…and our family.

Kind of gives me this visual picture of my own family…or for that matter, any family growing together: parents struggling to raise the kids the right way and kids struggling to understand why Mom and Dad have to make hard decisions, yet watching how hard Mom and Dad work to provide for and nurture their family. It’s not until the kids get much older that they really understand all the sacrifices and selflessness that parents must invest to keep the family safe, secure and on the path to maturity.

A key part of that sacrifice is financial security. I won’t get on my soap box, but as you have this mental picture in your mind of your family, or for that matter, any family…pause for just a minute to consider what happens if mom or dad should die while the kids are young. Happiness and financial security become much less certain. The remaining parent has to double down on the family effort with little time for themselves to grieve and mourn the loss of a spouse.

Life insurance, if purchased previously, can’t help with emotional side of loss, but it sure can help provide security, peace of mind, time to adjust, educational funds, housing, and other expenses associated with the loss of income of the deceased parent.

Think about this way…if PARENTS were to take the same selfish approach of “MY do what MY wants to,” the family unit would be much less stable. Thankfully, many parents make that insurance decision…just in case.

Have you?