The moment my life changed forever #BeCovered @manulife

Parenthood is something no amount of books, advice or blog posts can ever really prepare you for. If you’ve read the books, listened to the experts and read the countless articles, good on you. If you’re flying by the seat of your pants, welcome to the club.

I got married relatively young; at the age of 20 years old. I moved to a new city, tried integrating into a new culture and starting a new chapter in my life. My mom passed away four months after I got married and it shattered me. Despite having serious health issues for the last ten years of her life, my family and I allowed cultural taboos to prevent us from making financial preparations for her passing. We underestimated the financial repercussions and had high hopes. The truth is no one lives forever. The financial toll her passing left on our family was very difficult. With no will, and nothing more than promises she has made to my siblings and I to guide us, we managed to manoeuvre the difficult situation relatively well, all things considered but it could have been so much easier.

 

Just a couple of months after her passing, I learnt I was going to be a mom. Without my own mother to guide me, I knew I had to rely on lessons I had learnt, knowledge I could acquire and helpful tips I could amass. I learnt first hand about the importance of a will and careful life planning.

 

Fast forward nine months to when my daughter was born, I felt that life really began. Once you become a parent, it is something the can never be undone. The moment I first held her it fully dawned on me that we were responsible for a tiny, beautiful human being and we would do everything in our power to protect and comfort her. Due to complications and a prolonged birth Ms. B stayed in NICU for six days before coming home. As a new mom, first time parent without a mom I struggled with learning how to be a mom and all the important steps I needed to take.

 

 

Though I was born and raised in Montreal, I grew up with a very strong inherently South Asian upbringing that set limits and tons of judge-y expectations. Amongst those expectations is that wills are somewhat taboo. They’re important but not discussed, never openly and only in the event of a grave illness. At least that’s the perspective I was exposed to. 

 

As a second generation Canadian, I along with many others carve my path while holding on to some of the cultural traditions of our ancestors, incorporating new traditions of our home and creating our own trends for our family.

 

 

I just checked out Manulife’s Cover Me application for life insurance and the entire span of time it took me to get an accurate quote was about the same as when I order a latte at the coffee shop and pick it up. Easy peasy. I am surprised to learn that I can get life insurance for less than the cost of a family dinner out per month.

 

I’d love for you to join me and the awesome moderators for a Twitter chat at 9pm EST (6pm PST) on November 25th. We’ll be chatting insurance coverage and I look forward to learning more about this really important life matter.