Do they have time?
How do I choose a guardian for my children? It is a big question, a question you hope will be academic and yet it is important to get this right. In March we are looking at the questions that you should ask yourself when making this decision.
When you are choosing a guardian for your children ask yourself, honestly, do they have time?
Do they already have their own children? If they do then how many would they have if they also took on your children?
Do they have a family member that they have carer responsibilities for?
Do they have a demanding job or a job that lacks flexibility?
Would they have an established help network?
Assuming that they aren’t sitting on their couch day after day being bored, but they are a busy person with their own life, what things could they give up in their current life to make time for your child?
I don’t need to tell you that parenting is time-consuming, I am just reminding you to think of that when you choose a parent for your kids.
But I have already chosen a guardian?
Great, you should still think through this topic. Time management is a problem for all people in all walks of life, and actually talking through these issues is helpful to both of you.
If you told the guardian that you would love to hear from them, to hear how they do their time management, then this would be encouraging for them (who doesn’t love having someone listen to them) and helpful for you too.
Estate Planning is overwhelming
Preparing a Will when you have children comes with a lot of decisions, who should be the guardian for my children, what should I tell them, should they control the kids' trust, should they be a beneficiary of the trust, should I tell my family who I have chosen, should I tell my kids? What is a letter of wishes and how does it apply to my kids? Many of the steps we will talk about can be done by you, once you know why and how.
What if your kids are older, can you appoint a guardian for a 17 year old, or a 20 year old? What age should they be before they get the money? What if they need the money before that point?
Would you like to join my free Facebook group where we are discussing all of this, and I have provided a checklist to help you to work through all of the decisions yourself.