With almost all step families, one spouse or the other will bring a child or children with them, creating a blended family. While this is an exciting, fulfilling and rarely dull prospect to a second marriage, it can at times present special challenges when it comes to estate planning. It is important to identify goals and concerns, discuss matters with your spouse, plan for all children[...]
Would you want your children left with a relative who doesn't want them or raised by a relative who you would never have chosen? Your children could face court battles and may even be placed in the foster care system unless you name a legal guardian in your legal will. Bottom line is that a judge, a complete[...]
When a child loses a loved one, even if it's a pet, the child can have a difficult time understanding and accepting the loss. Just think about how hard it is for adults to come to terms with death, it's even worse for someone as innocent as a child. To help children understand and work through the emotions of[...]
Here is an alarming figure: In the United States, at least 500 children have died since 1998 of hyperthermia after being left in hot cars while their parents run errands. With 49 such deaths in 2010, the problem is greater than ever. The most recent such death in central Florida occurred in 2007 when a 22-month old toddler died after being left in a car in the City Hall parking lot. Children can[...]
In most children, their basic feeling with the death of a family member is fear. They don't understand what happened. They wonder who will die next. They don't know how they will live without the dead person. If it's a parent they are concerned about who will take care of them. And, most strongly, they fear that they will die too. We can't prevent children feeling fear in a death situation and they[...]