Passing away isn’t something a lot of people want to think about too early in their lives. It isn’t an appealing concept by any means. But when you have children, and they need to be protected regardless of what happens to you, contemplating your mortality becomes necessary.
If you die while your child or children are under the age of 18, the state will appoint a guardian. Writing your online Will on the Smart Will App today can avoid this.
A lot of people use their last will as a way to legally nominate a guardian for their children in the event of their death. However, the process is not as simple as just choosing somebody, so we’re going to cover a few things that parents need to know.
Picking the Right People
Before you write a will or even think about updating a current one; you need to stop and consider what kind of characteristics and values you’re going to want in the guardian of your children. You might have a best friend that you want to raise your kids, but if they’re not a sensible choice, you need to revise that decision.
To do this, you should sit down and be ruthless with yourself about the admirable qualities and the failings of your chosen garden. Consider their ethical values, their familiarity with the children, their suitability to be parents. You don’t want your child to spend the rest of their life in a position that they don’t like, or living with someone they don’t care for, so it’s essential to give a lot of time to this decision.
How to Appoint Someone as Guardian
So, when you have identified a suitable candidate to be the guardian of your children, you then need to start the process of adding them to your will and making the decision legitimate. This will begin with a conversation with the planned guardian so that you can explain the situation to them. Be prepared for questions from your friend or family member and a potential request to have time to consider what you’re asking. It is a big responsibility, and a lot of people don’t feel comfortable just agreeing in a heartbeat.
To summarise, adding a guardian to your will is not a difficult task. However, the real challenge can come from finding a suitable person. You need to be acutely aware of the negative characteristics of your chosen person because this is the life of a child you’re entrusting them with. If you’re dealing with someone reckless and irresponsible all the time, they might not be the best choice. As a parent, you have to make the best choice and carefully consider all of the different options to find the ideal guardian.