As a father I am always worried about the future of my children. We spend so much time running our busy lives that we sometimes loose sights of everything that can go wrong. We live in the complacency that our lives are not going to change and our families will be as safe tomorrow as they are tonight. The reality is different, people die everyday, married couples seldom passes in twos but it happens from time to time most likely of a fatal accident. A legal will is a legal vehicle that can be used to assign a legal guardian for children in case you pass away. Why you need a legal will? Because if you don’t have a legal contract stating your wishes someone else is going to make decide who is going to take care of them. There are many reasons for you to make that decision and leaving it in your will, those are:
You need to live your children with someone who will likely raise them they way you would have if alive. There are many factors to consider, amongst them the most important are financial stability, physical safety, emotional support and personal values. Money doesn’t buy it all but it sure helps provide for shelter and security. Leaving your children with someone who is not capable of support them is running the risk that they will have to give them up or just not being able to keep them safe. Also, you don’t want the guardian to see them as a burden. It can cause resentment, which as cruel as it sound could lead to mental abuse or rejection.
Courts will appoint someone who they believe is a stable person with no child abuse background, history of alcoholism or any other sign that the person is unfit to be the guardian. It sounds fine but if you personally don’t chose that would be best fit to be the guardian, the children will be raised in the manner that the appointee feels is best. If you are a believer in a particular faith, it stands to reason you want your children to have the same moral compass. Christianity is a large faith, with so many segmentations and variations it is possible that your children will be exposed to views of life that you wouldn’t have approved while living. Consider there are many religions in the world, a guardian appointed by the court could have complete different faiths such as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or Judaism which could be other than your own. Their fundamental views will be remarkably different.
The financial aspect of upbringing a child is a pillar to the children’s safety. You not only have to be cognizant of appointing someone with enough resources but also of the person assigned having an honest and judicious approached to finances. By law, children under eighteen can not have property or it is limited to a few thousand dollars depending on which state they reside. A life insurance policy, real estate or large savings can be very tempting for someone to misuse. The guardian could be buying items for themselves and claiming it is being used for the child. There could be other ways your children could be scammed out of money and it can be difficult to prove. The best judge of character is you. A parent knows when someone cares for your children. Why you need a legal will? You need a legal will because you can appoint the right person to take care of the most important people in your life, your family.