When creating an estate plan, you probably think of things such as who should inherit your Connecticut home or whether to include items as part of a will or trust. However, if you have kids, you should know that you can name their guardian in your will. There are several factors that you’ll want to take into account when making such a selection.
Choose someone reliable
Your children will need someone who they can count on to meet their physical, emotional and financial needs. The person you choose to raise your kids will ideally consider them to be their own and treat them accordingly. This means that you’ll want to avoid choosing someone who has substance abuse issues or other problems that might take away from their ability to be a quality parent.
Find someone who shares your values
The person who raises your child doesn’t need to be exactly like you when it comes to discipline, education or religious matters. However, you’ll want to find someone who will raise your child in roughly the same manner that you would have. This can be done by talking to your family members or close friends to get an idea of who you think could serve as a close replacement if anything happened to you.
Find someone who is willing
The most important thing when choosing a guardian is choosing someone who is willing to serve as a full-time parent. There are plenty of people who thrive in the role of cool aunt or older cousin who wouldn’t do well if asked to transition to a guardianship situation. This is because not everyone can make the leap from friend to parent who does what’s best for the child regardless of the consequences.
As a parent, you can’t trust that you won’t get sick, die or otherwise leave your kids alone in the world. Therefore, it’s critical to name a guardian who will be there to pick up where you left off.