My family and I recently went on vacation to Florida. It was a blast. But like all parents who take small children on airplanes, I wondered at one point: “couldn’t we have just left the kids with someone (anyone) back home?” Then one of my kids spilled juice on me and I quickly forgot what I was thinking about.
Parents often leave children at home while they go on vacation for various reasons. But they seldom take the steps that they need to when leaving town without their kids. Most of us have heard the song and seen the awesomely nineties video, “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” We know what happens when 
you leave children to their own devices while you are on vacation. So when you go on vacation, we know that we need to leave our kids with temporary guardians. This is smart. But what most people don’t do is sign a “Delegation of Parental Authority” before they leave. This is because most vacationers don’t know what it is or why they need it. Read on, fair travelers.
When you and the other child’s parent signs the Delegation of Parental Authority, you are authorizing someone back home to temporarily care for your child. You are legally authorizing them to provide a home for them and make schooling or medical decisions for them. This form is doubly important if something happens to you or the child’s other parent while you are on vacation. If something happened on vacation and you became incapacitated, this document would help ensure that your child would be properly cared for on a temporary basis until you were able to return.
Yo homes, smell ya later!
The Delegation of Parental Authority is only temporary, though. A DPA doesn’t name a Guardian in the event that something more permanent happened to you and the child’s other parent. Naming someone to care for your child on a long-term basis means appointing a Guardian. You can only nominate a guardian in your will. You have a will don’t you? The other thing that a DPA can’t do is make sure that your children don’t throw parties at your house or take your new Porsche for a little spin while you are out of town. For that, the only remedy is to send them to live with their Auntie and Uncle in Bel-Air.
If you want additional information on the subject, Maggie Green has a nice write up on why parents need a will and a Delegation of Authority in place before you leave town here.
