You may hope you are a part of your children’s lives for a long time. However, you must prepare for a scenario where you sadly cannot be around for your children and need another competent adult to take over. In other words, you need to name a trusted individual to serve as the guardian of your minor children in your established last will and testament. With that being said, follow along to find out how to pick the right guardian for your minor children and how a proficient Broward County wills lawyer at The Probate Lawyers can help you through this selection process.
How do I know who to pick as the guardian of my minor children?
When considering guardianship orders, you may have an individual in mind who your children already know and get along with. However, this may not be enough to make them a qualified candidate for this very important role. Instead, before picking the guardian of your minor children, you must ask yourself the following questions:
- Does this individual handle finances in a way that your minor children will be thoroughly supported?
- Does this individual share your preferences for medical care and education for your minor children?
- Does this individual practice parenting styles that you want your minor children to benefit from?
- Does this individual have moral values and ethics that you also want your minor children to hold?
- Does this individual practice a religious belief that you want to be passed down to your minor children?
- Does this individual practice cultural traditions that you want to be passed down to your minor children?
How do I ensure my guardian selection goes according to plan?
You may find an individual who seems to be the ideal guardian for your minor children. But this means nothing if you do not get this individual’s explicit consent to be named in this role. That is, this is a big responsibility to take on, so you must ask if they are comfortable with it first. At this time, you may also want to discuss the expectations you would generally have for them (i.e., your financial, medical, educational, and religious wishes) to see if they are still on board.
Otherwise, there may be a situation where this individual denies this appointment when the time comes for them to step up. Here, the Florida probate court may be left to appoint another surviving family member on your behalf. Or, multiple surviving family members may petition the court. This process may be emotionally tolling for your family, especially your minor children. This may be best avoided if you name an alternate guardian in your last will and testament.
At any rate, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a talented Broward County estate lawyer today. We, at The Probate Lawyers, look forward to your phone call.
