When Jana Pittman was recently asked, “If you died today, what would you regret not having done yet?” her answer wasn’t about unfulfilled dreams or bucket list adventures. The two-time world champion athlete, Olympic competitor, and mother of six gave a startlingly practical response: “My will.”
It’s the kind of brutally honest answer that makes you pause mid-scroll through your social media feed. Here’s a woman who has conquered the world’s biggest sporting stages, represented Australia in both Summer and Winter Olympics, earned medical degrees, and is now working as a registrar in obstetrics and gynecology. Yet when faced with mortality’s ultimate question, her biggest regret wasn’t professional or personal—it was administrative.
And that should terrify every parent reading this.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Parental Procrastination
Pittman’s response cuts through the romantic notions we often have about death and regret. We imagine ourselves lamenting missed opportunities for adventure, unspoken words of love, or dreams left unfulfilled. But the reality is far more mundane and infinitely more consequential for those we leave behind.
As parents, we excel at procrastination when it comes to the uncomfortable necessities of life. We’ll spend hours researching the perfect car seat, agonizing over school choices, and ensuring our children have every vaccination on schedule. Yet somehow, the single most important document that could protect our children’s future sits perpetually on our mental “to-do” list, gathering dust alongside “organize the garage” and “start that exercise routine.”
The irony is palpable. We’re so focused on protecting our children from immediate dangers—stranger danger, playground injuries, cyberbullying—that we completely ignore the one scenario that could devastate their lives more than any other: our sudden absence without proper legal preparation.
Why Smart, Capable Parents Avoid Making Wills
If Jana Pittman, a woman who has literally hurdled her way to world championships and navigated the complexities of medical school while raising six children, hasn’t gotten around to making her will, what does that say about the rest of us? It reveals something profound about human psychology and our relationship with mortality.
Making a will forces us to confront our own death in concrete terms. It’s not the abstract concept we can push to the back of our minds; it’s the detailed consideration of who will raise our children, how our assets will be divided, and what happens to everything we’ve built. It’s planning for a world that continues without us, and that’s psychologically challenging even for the most accomplished among us.
There’s also the perfectionism trap. Many parents delay making wills because they want to get everything “just right.” They worry about fairness, about changing circumstances, about making decisions they might later regret. But this pursuit of the perfect will often prevents us from creating any will at all.
The Real Cost of Procrastination
When parents die without wills, the consequences extend far beyond financial complications. Children can be placed in legal limbo while courts determine guardianship. Family relationships can be destroyed by disputes over custody and assets. The very people we most want to protect—our children—become pawns in a system designed for efficiency, not emotional well-being.
Consider the practical realities: without a will, the state decides who raises your children based on legal precedence, not your intimate knowledge of family dynamics. Your carefully saved college funds might be tied up in probate for months or years. Your children might end up with guardians who don’t share your values, parenting philosophy, or even basic lifestyle preferences.
The financial implications are equally sobering. Intestate succession—what happens when someone dies without a will—follows rigid legal formulas that rarely reflect a family’s actual needs or wishes. A surviving spouse might not inherit everything, leaving them financially vulnerable at the worst possible time. Children’s inheritances might be distributed at ages when they’re least equipped to handle significant wealth responsibly.
Learning from Jana’s Honesty
What makes Pittman’s admission so powerful is its universality. Here’s a woman who has achieved extraordinary things, who manages complex medical cases and raises six children, yet she’s just as human as the rest of us when it comes to avoiding difficult tasks. Her honesty gives the rest of us permission to acknowledge our own procrastination without shame—and more importantly, to do something about it.
The beauty of her response lies in its simplicity. She didn’t overthink it or try to sound profound. She identified the most practical thing that would genuinely matter if she died today. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most important things we can do for our families aren’t grand gestures or perfect parenting moments—they’re the boring, administrative tasks that protect the people we love.
Taking Action: Making It Happen
The good news is that creating a basic will doesn’t require the complexity many parents imagine. While estate planning can become intricate for those with significant assets or complicated family situations, most parents can establish essential protections relatively quickly and affordably.
Start with the basics: who will care for your children, how you want your assets distributed, and who will make decisions on behalf of minor children. These fundamental decisions form the foundation of any will and can be established even if other details remain uncertain.
Consider this your Jana Pittman moment. If someone asked you today what you’d regret not having done if you died tomorrow, would your answer be as uncomfortably practical as hers? More importantly, what are you going to do about it?
The most loving thing you can do for your children isn’t necessarily being the perfect parent every day—it’s ensuring they’re protected even when you can’t be there to protect them yourself. Jana Pittman’s honest answer should serve as a wake-up call for every parent who has been putting off this crucial responsibility.
Don’t let your children’s future depend on legal default settings. Make the will. Do it imperfectly if necessary, but do it. Your family’s security is worth more than your discomfort with mortality, and your children deserve the protection that only proper planning can provide.
After all, if a world champion athlete and accomplished doctor can admit she needs to get her will done, surely the rest of us can find the courage to face this essential parental responsibility.