“The thought of someone else
making that decision for me
would break my heart.”
Having children is definitely the best thing I’ve ever done with my life. They bring me such joy and fun, and over the past few years living in a society of doom and gloom and negative equity, who wouldn’t want to grab on to this happiness?
However having children also brings a lot of responsibility, and I think anyone reading this article knows exactly what I’m talking about. One of the things that is obviously very relevant for me in my line of work is the importance of having a Will to set down my wishes for my children if the unthinkable happened. I know, this sounds very morbid to some! However I have been making Wills now for well over seven years; I have seen how helpful they are to families – to know that you are the one that gets to make this enormous decision: who would take care of your children if something happened. I know for me, the thought of someone else deciding on who my children would go to live with, where they went to school, how often they saw the in-laws, etc. would break my heart. If you are a parent, it is you who should decide these things, no one else.
And yet, so many of us just shudder at the thought of making this decision; picking a guardian for the children if something happened to both parents. It is a huge decision that requires so much consideration, and we all just hope the situation never materialises. Unfortunately, it does arise for some. I spoke to a lady recently who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her partner left her and she was left with her 9 year old boy to look after by herself while trying to come to terms with her illness. She told me making her Will was a great comfort; to know she had the say in what happened her child and her assets.
I would urge everyone putting off making a Will because of the guardianship issue to just bite the bullet and appoint someone you trust, who already has a good relationship with your children. It would also be preferable to appoint someone who lives nearby so that you don’t have to worry about uprooting the children. You can amend your Will whenever you want, so for example, if you’d like your Mum to do it, but worry about her getting older, you can just change the Will at a later date if you felt she wouldn’t be up to it anymore. The important thing is to make a Will, give yourself peace of mind with the knowledge that no one else is deciding on your family’s future, nor should they.
“Just bite the bullet – get it
done now and give
yourself peace of mind”
Please contact MakeMyWill Solicitors to discuss making your Will today. Call Susan on 086-8377559 or email her at susan@makemywill.ie