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Have You Named a Guardian for Your Child?
Filed under: Just For Moms, Just For Dads, Relatives
Who would care for your child if you weren't here? Image: sxc.hu
If you have yet to make arrangements for your children in the event of your death, you are not alone. Judging by the comments at Cafe Mom, many of us are loathe to even think about it. We may have some vague idea of who we would prefer and perhaps even a strong opinion on who we would not prefer, but many of us have not made it legal.
In reality, making your wishes known about who will care for your children is the easy part. Get a lawyer to draw up the necessary papers and you are done. The hard part is choosing just who to name as legal guardian. It's a huge decision in which many factors come in to play.
Your sister might be a wonderful parent, but with 5 kids of her own could she really make room in her family for yours? Your own parents might be willing and able, but depending on their age, that could spell even more upheaval and distress for your children should they pass away before the kids reach maturity.
Nobody wants to plan for their own death, but as parents we have a responsibility to our children to do so. Have you done it?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2009 @ 1:48PM
SoMo said...Yes, we have, but we still go back and forth on our decision. It makes it even harder to change, because the person we have choosen is our attorney and that would be an awkward conversation.
I am just hoping that Murphy's Law would prove that being as prepared as possible means nothing would happen to us.
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 2:20PM
Melissa said...Yes, I appointed my mother, yet the document states that in the event that my mom is unable to care for my daughter, guardianship would be appointed to my sister. I wouldn't change that, because those are the two people my child knows and loves the most! I agree with SoMo, hopefully being prepared means nothing will happen!
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7-10-2009 @ 11:45AM
starflyer said...We were "forced" to choose a guardian for our kids because we're going through the process of adopting baby #3. That's one beautiful thing about adoption, they really REALLY educated the prospective parents. Anyway, it was a difficult decision and we ended up choosing my cousin and her husband who reside in Shanghai. They're wonderful people, but the location is not ideal. In the end, we opted for family over good local friends.
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8-12-2009 @ 9:46PM
Red73 said...I just recently did this after thinking about it for a long time. When I was in the process I posted on the truuconfessions site and didn't get very many "me too's" but a lot of comments from others about how they had nothing in place fore their children. I think people just do not want to think about it or they think that it will never be necessary.