Putting your partner as your emergency contact might seem simple, but for some, it can be a pretty big step. After all, you're saying that your partner is the person you know you can count on in a ...

Whether it’s finding someone when you’re new in town, or asking a friend to back you up with the kids, the ‘emergency contact’ search can start a life inventory.

I was in a waiting room at the doctor’s office, completing the kind of forms I’d filled out countless times before: Name. Age. Address. Occupation. Emergency contact. I listed my sister Meg ...