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The Law Office of Morrison & McGrew, P.A

Frederick Location

Hagerstown Location

Please Call For An Appointment

Location and age could impact guardianship choices

On Behalf of | Dec 12, 2017 | Blog

Children fill life with excitement, joy and sometimes drama. Though certain situations may drive you crazy, you undoubtedly want to be there for every minute of it. Unfortunately, we never know what the future holds, and a serious accident, illness or other situation could take you from your children too soon. 

In the event that you can no longer care for your children, you certainly want someone you trust to provide for them. By creating guardianship appointments and stipulations as part of your will and estate plan, you can ensure that a responsible party will take over the care of your children. However, choosing the right guardian may have its difficulties.

Location

Where you and your family live and where your guardian candidates live could play a role in your decision. While you may hope that your chosen guardian would be willing to move to your children’s location in order to avoid further disruption in their lives, that may not be a feasible option. If the guardian has a family of his or her own, a steady job or other connections to his or her current location, the children may have to move to their new guardian and not vice versa.

Because of this potential factor, you may wish to determine whether you would like a guardian who already lives nearby in hopes of keeping your children close to current family and friends or if you feel that having your children move would work in their best interests.

Age

Even if you have someone in mind that has the perfect parenting skills, his or her age could act as an important deciding factor. For example, your own parents may seem like the perfect choice as guardians in theory, but if they are of an older age, they may face their own demises or incapacitation before your children reach the age of majority. As a result, your kids could end up needing other guardians. Therefore, you may want to ensure that your candidate’s age will not pose a problem.

Making the appointment

In order for your guardianship appointment to be considered legally binding, you will need to follow the correct steps when naming an individual or individuals. Utilizing your will to name a guardian could help ensure that surviving parties follow your wishes.

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