Live moves quickly. One moment you are jokingly talking with your friends about the challenges of parenting what you jokingly call Toddlersauras Rex, the next minute you are adjusting to the unpredictability of a diva threenager. In the midst of all the energy that is required to parent our children, however, we often get so caught up in the day to day tasks that we forget to look at the big picture. The reality is, though, that parents need to be just as concerned about having the right kind of legal documents in place in case of an emergency. And while the chances are far greater that you will be dealing with a screaming child in the middle of an amusement park, it is also good to know that in the event of a real emergency you have paper work in place that will make difficult decisions less uncertain.
We often thing of end of life decisions when we were are talking about older parents and grandparents, but there are also a growing number of young parents who understand the need for legal help when it comes time to establish a living will as well. In less serious, but just as emotional of situations, parents also need to make certain that they have the legal help that they need when it comes to the adoption process, divorce papers, or the help that you may need from a child custody lawyer.
Living Wills and Other Legal Documents Allow You to Proactively Get the Help That You Need
Whether you are adopting a child or you are interested in the necessary details about setting up trusts and wills, it is important to make sure that you are knowledgeable if you work with an experienced attorney. And while it may seem too soon to talk about a living will when you are living with the strong will of toddler, it is never too soon to make sure that you have the right legal documents in place.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the legal implications of the decisions that many parents find themselves proactively making even when their children are still young:
- As many as 1 million children are involved in divorce proceedings every year.
- There are about 876,000 divorces each year in the U.S. That means that every 36 seconds there is a new divorce happening.
- 30% of failing marriages involve couples who have children under the age of 18.
- A person is injured in a drunk driving crash every two minutes.
- Nearly 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, with half of those victims being children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although it certainly can seem that the long days of dealing with a toddler will never end, the most responsible parents know that they need to proactively prepare for the unexpected. Some of these plans require the help of an experienced attorney.
