If You Can Leave Notes for a Babysitter, You Can Leave a Guardian in Your Will

If You Can Leave Notes for a Babysitter, You Can Leave a Guardian in Your Will

Picture this. You’re heading out for the evening and leaving your child with a babysitter.
Before you go, you scribble down a list of instructions:

Dinner at six.
Favourite pyjamas.
The storybook they insist on every night.
And, of course, the one song guaranteed to settle them after a nightmare.

It’s second nature, isn’t it? Because you want your child cared for, exactly the way you would care for them.

But the stark and almost shocking reality is that most parents leave more detailed instructions for a babysitter than they do for what happens if they’re no longer here.

The scale of the problem

 Research shows that between 65% and 70% of parents in the UK have not appointed a legal guardian for their children in their Will. That means nearly two-thirds of parents with children under 18 are leaving their children without a legally designated caregiver if the worst were to happen.

One poll found that 54% of UK adults haven’t made a Will at all,  which means no guardianship provision exists for their children.

Another study reported that 70% of parents haven’t named a guardian in their estate plans.

In those cases, the decision passes to the courts. And while the courts will do their best, they don’t know your child. They don’t know who sings the lullaby that makes them feel safe, or which grandparent they run to after school, or which cousin they adore. They’ll make a decision based on process and not love.

Choosing the right guardian

 This is one of the most personal choices you’ll ever make, and it’s rarely simple.

Do you choose grandparents who know your child inside out, but may struggle as the years go by?

Do you pick a sibling who lives miles away, but is closer in age and energy?

Do you split responsibility between family members and risk future disagreements?

There isn’t a perfect answer. But there is one perfect truth: not choosing is far worse.

Because if you don’t decide, someone else will.

The kindest instructions you’ll ever leave

We leave notes for babysitters because we care. Guardianship is the ultimate note. It’s saying, “If I can’t be there, here’s who I trust to love and guide my child.”

It’s not a legal formality.

It’s an act of love.

And it might just be the most important instruction you ever leave behind.

If this is something you have been thinking of doing and haven’t, then get in touch with us to get your Will updated today.

Your money and assets are one thing; your children are everything.