DEAR ABBY: During my sister's pregnancy, she made very clear that the only people she wanted to transport her child would be her, her husband and our mother. I disagreed, but because of her pregnancy, I kept silent and abided by her wish that I not purchase my own car seat in the event of an emergency. (I don't have any children of my own.)
Now that the child is in day care, I found out through a third party that my sister has listed me as an emergency contact. The first question that came to mind was "Why?" but all I could do was acknowledge the information. Would it be out of line for me to ask her about this, and if she confirms it, to remove my info from her emergency contact? Or should I just hope that I never get called? I don't want to be unprepared, but I know that emergencies do happen. -- TAKEN ABACK IN THE EAST
DEAR TAKEN ABACK: Emergencies DO happen. Lives can be changed in only a moment. Before listing you as an emergency contact, your sister should have asked for permission and discussed it with you. It would not be out of line to tell her you have just been informed about it and ask why she did it without telling you.
While you're at it, ask if the child has any medical conditions you're not aware of and exactly what she wants done in an emergency situation. If you decide to follow through with this, you should know the name of her doctor, what -- if any -- medications the child is taking, and what hospital the ambulance should deliver the kid to if it becomes necessary, since you don't have a child seat in your vehicle and don't want to risk being cited should you be stopped on the way.