Choosing Guardians for Your Children

By Thomas Rossmeissl, Attorney at Law

http://rossmeissllaw.com/

All parents with young children need to consider who will take care of their children if the unexpected happens and the parents were to lose capacity or die before the children reach adulthood. Everyone hopes that this will never happen to them, but prudent parents plan for the unexpected. Guardians are the parent substitutes who will step in to raise the children if the parents are unable to do so. Choosing the right person to be guardian, and the right person to be the alternate, requires careful thought. Here are some things to consider when you are faced with selecting the guardian for your child:

Who shares your values?
Whose parenting style matches your own?
Does the guardian share your religious beliefs?
Does your child feel comfortable with the guardian?
Does the guardian have other children? Do your children get along with them and do you approve of how they have been raised?
Is the guardian young enough to be able to raise your children to adulthood?
Does the guardian live far away? Will it be necessary to relocate your children, or will the guardian be willing to relocate for the children?
Is the guardian able and willing to take on this important responsibility?

After you have selected the guardian and alternate guardian all that is left is putting your nomination in writing. It’s as simple as that.

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