Surprisingly important paperwork you should never, ever misplace, Part 1.

A few weeks ago, my daughter finally received her Seepferchen (seahorse) patch by jumping into the deep end of the pool, swimming the entire length of the pool and subsequently retreiving a ring from the bottom of the pool when standing in water which was shoulder-high. It's an important milestone for kids learning to swim.

She was as proud as can be, and so was I, and when I told German moms about her accomplishment, a few of them told me, "Don't lose that piece of paper!" Apparently, this is one of those certificates which you will need to produce in various situations. An acquantaince told me her 18-year-old son had to provide all his swimming certifcates (including the Seepferdchen he'd done at six) in order to go on a sailing trip with his church. Another said her teenage daughter has needed it at school a few times, including in high school

This is an important document which certainly doesn't look all that important to the untrained eye. It's the size of a passport and filled out by hand on the spot.

My husband Christoph, who is everyone's favorite uptight German and my reference for all things official, said it has three features that distinguish essential German documents. Here they come...

1) It is a standardized form, covering various different swimming associations
2) It has an official stamp on it
3) It has an official signature

So hold onto this one, you never know what it will be good for.