Twitter and Estate Planning

I live next door to my dad - not just in the same town, or on the same street, but right next door. All of my siblings live in California, which is where I lived before moving to Florida. I usually see my Dad every day, but even if I don’t go next door and talk to him, I still see or hear signs of him daily. I hear his car leaving in the morning to go to the Y. In the evening, we can usually hear him laughing with a neighbor on his front porch. I see his lights go on in the morning and off at night. Sometimes, if I get up at 3:00 am, I see that he is too. My Dad is in good health, but it is nice to be close by and know that he is fine.

What does this have to do with Twitter? As parents age, we want to know they are fine without intruding. Phone calls and emails are good, but both require a conversation. Sometimes you just don’t want to say anything to anyone in particular. Twitter is a perfect alternative. Mom or Dad can tweet anything such as “off to my poker game” or “time for a nap” and all of their followers (their children) will know that all is well. It also spreads the responsibility out to everyone who cares, not just one end of a phone call or an email. No one has to be at home to get the phone call or check email. I wonder if the grandkids might want to follow Grandpa and find out what he does all day. And I wonder if Grandpa will let anyone know.