Comments on: Who is Your Safety Net? http://firstpersonsingular.org/2009/11/05/who-is-your-safety-net/ Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:47:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Singletude: A Positive Blog for Singles http://firstpersonsingular.org/2009/11/05/who-is-your-safety-net/comment-page-1/#comment-2733 Singletude: A Positive Blog for Singles Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:40:35 +0000 http://firstpersonsingular.org/?p=7449#comment-2733 I still use my parents, too. In my case, though, they're actually readily available if they needed to be notified and could come to my rescue. After they pass on someday, though, I truly don't know who my emergency contact will be. I don't have any siblings, and I don't live near my extended family. Perhaps one of my close friends; I've known some of them since I was in elementary school, and I think they would take on that roll for me if I needed them to. I know I would for them. Ditto to what Jenn said about married couples! I still use my parents, too. In my case, though, they’re actually readily available if they needed to be notified and could come to my rescue. After they pass on someday, though, I truly don’t know who my emergency contact will be. I don’t have any siblings, and I don’t live near my extended family. Perhaps one of my close friends; I’ve known some of them since I was in elementary school, and I think they would take on that roll for me if I needed them to. I know I would for them.

Ditto to what Jenn said about married couples!

]]> By: Jenn http://firstpersonsingular.org/2009/11/05/who-is-your-safety-net/comment-page-1/#comment-2716 Jenn Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:47:46 +0000 http://firstpersonsingular.org/?p=7449#comment-2716 I still put my parents as my emergency contacts, although I'm 38 and my parents live 500 miles away. But I never know who else I would put. Even at those times when I have been in a relationship, I feel like it takes a really long time to get to a point where I would feel comfortable putting that person down as my emergency contact (and then that gets into all kinds of questions of how long this form might be sitting around - what if we break up but their name is still there on that damn form?). And yet, I have plenty of friends who I'm sure would come running if I NEEDED an emergency contact contacted. On a superficial level, I think this IS one of the advantages of being 'permanently' coupled - when you make that kind of commitment, I think everyone expects that sort of support is part of the deal. But I certainly don't think that means coupled people never feel alone. It doesn't even mean that their emergency contact person is actually available when needed. All it really does is make it easier to know whose name to actually write in that box. I still put my parents as my emergency contacts, although I’m 38 and my parents live 500 miles away. But I never know who else I would put. Even at those times when I have been in a relationship, I feel like it takes a really long time to get to a point where I would feel comfortable putting that person down as my emergency contact (and then that gets into all kinds of questions of how long this form might be sitting around – what if we break up but their name is still there on that damn form?). And yet, I have plenty of friends who I’m sure would come running if I NEEDED an emergency contact contacted.

On a superficial level, I think this IS one of the advantages of being ‘permanently’ coupled – when you make that kind of commitment, I think everyone expects that sort of support is part of the deal. But I certainly don’t think that means coupled people never feel alone. It doesn’t even mean that their emergency contact person is actually available when needed. All it really does is make it easier to know whose name to actually write in that box.

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