S/O MUST HAVE legal documents before kid goes off to college

Wow, all you must really abuse your kids privacy. You have these forms IN CASE of the unthinkable. All our college kids have them, WE have them, our parents have them. You sit down and discuss different scenarios so you know what the person will want done if they can't speak for themselves. That's when you use these forms. Not to check up on your kids/parents daily lives. And in case something happens to one of us, DH and I have these forms filled out too. Not that we are not next-of-kin, but these establish instant verification and thus action.

Maybe if you're uncomfortable, call the local hospital for the school and ask them if they could tell you your child's condition if he/she were in a coma in the hospital. Then decide if you need the form.

I only suggest them because unfortunately I know of more than one case where having these forms would have resulted in different treatment, one case even where the different treatment would have resulted in a different lifestyle.

As for the forms needed for college grades etc, my kids were more than ok with signing them. We pay, we see but we've never had to request them "behind our kids' backs" because they are open about their grades, tests, projects, etc.

ETA. I just called Vanderbilt Medical Center and Harvard University Health systems.  Both ER's told me they would not give me information on my kid's condition without those forms being on file and without me faxing them a copy of the form. I'd rather be prepared and never use them then be going out of my mind with worry.