It is our job to learn how the business works and to be professional about ourselves or our children, and getting what we need and what the law states we must have from the system. Records are vital and can become legal documents. It is important to get every record that exists. We also need to chart our own observations about what is going on. We cannot trust such important information to memory or chance, but must become active participants in this struggle to get needs met.
Records are valuable information in many instances.
Should a parent die, the designated caregiver will have a complete and accurate record. All those things about Jon that only mom would know are in his records to assist someone else. If a child or adolescent ever gets in trouble with the law, we have proof that he is not a bad kid, but has some special needs in his life. Records can be given to children as they become adults and take responsibility for their own lives and become their own advocates. For adults, records help in charting the course and clarifying goals, and obtaining what you need from the system.