Let’s say you are a mother of 3 chil- dren. You have two girls from your first marriage and your third child, a boy, is from the 2nd. If something unexpectedly happened to you, the law dictates that your youngest son would be placed in the care of his father, provided he is still living.


Yet you know that living with your cur- rent husband would not be the best arrangement for the girls. The girls have never been close to your new husband and you can’t imagine the situation getting any better if you were gone. Worst of all, the girls have no relationship with their biological father. In fact, he signed over his rights in lieu of paying child support years ago.


So


in your mind, leaving the children to him is not an option either.


Based on this scenario, you decide to make your sister the guardian of the girls, while your husband would continue to raise your son if something happens.


Of course that’s just one of MANY ex- amples in which the decision to ap- point separate guardians for your chil- dren comes into play. As I tell parents all the time, YOU and only YOU know what is best for the physical and emotional well-being of your children in a time of need. While the ideal situation is to


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leave the kids together if possible, fam- ily dynamics or life circumstances may dictate that alternative plans be made.


Here are some additional things to think about: 1.Age of the Guardian 2. Does the Guardian have children or plan on having children?


3. Is the person married? 4. What are the religious beliefs of the person?


5. Is he or she a “blood” relative? 6. Does your child actually like this person?


7. How drastic will your child’s daily life change?


8. Does this person have pets?


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