Wills, guardianship etc.

[Bean of Love]

Good morning...

I trust you are all enjoying the Easter weekend!

Again, I am not really sure where to post this...as it affects finances to a degree and parenting to a degree.

Although it is not a nice thought to think about, hubby and I have been talking about it.

Last year Josh was Christened here and we appointed friends of ours as his Godparents. We didnt appoint anyone in SA as he would hardly ever get to see them as we dont go back to SA often, and we only have hubby's parents here, and needless to say, they cannot be godparents!

Now, our dilema is as such... what happens if something happens to hubby and I...who will look after Josh? ad: His godparents are just friends, so we dont want him to go to them. We would like him to go to hubby's parents, but what happens if they pass on before we do? The only other people we would like him to be cared for are in SA. I certainly do not want him to go into the system at all!!!!

Do we put this in our will? Josh is not an asset and I feel really odd about this..who will let the people in SA know and how will he get to SA..

Any opinions / advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx!

[mcamp999]

Bean

You need to identify who will be Josh's guardians in the event of something happening to you. This will have to be done in the form of a will. Make sure you discuss this with whoever you appoint, as bringing up someone elses children can be quite a strain both financially and emotionally. There are all sorts of complications, and it is important that you set up a financial stream for your childs guardians and your child. i.e. the guardians might have to move into a bigger house, or build an extension, then there is your childs continued education etc.etc.etc.

The main function of Godparents, is to see that your child continues his/her religious education (although that has been somewhat clouded over the years).