This blog is a follow-up to last week’s blog where I provided Legal Documents for the Young. I wanted to share my own story of how that blog post came about. If you missed the post, you can find it HERE.
A short while ago, I was reminded that significant lessons are often learned the hard way. At least for me. It’s not a deliberate plan on my part, just the way some lessons arrive. Because our vision is not 360 degrees, things can sneak up on us from behind and smack us on the back of the head. Lesson learned. Let me explain.
My strong and handsome 19-year-old grandson recently sustained an enormous and unexpected injury. Suddenly he was in the hands of the trauma team in the Brackenridge Hospital ER, doing all they could to assess and stabilize his injuries.
When his Mama, my daughter, burst through the doors of the ER, she arrived with tears and fears. Naturally, the physicians would have preferred for her to arrive with legal documents, allowing them to communicate with her regarding this “adult.” Crazy?!@?! He was still a dependent, on her health insurance, attending college, now needing his Mama. None of these things made a difference: he was an adult in the eyes of the law and she had no right to communication or decision-making.
In a moment of clarity, her son gave a verbal authorization for communication so the legal crisis was averted. But . . . what if that moment wasn’t possible? Why hadn’t we recognized our dependent children crossing over the legal threshold to adulthood? Probably because their 18th birthday doesn’t change the worry, the expense, the nurturing. They are still your children, only one day older.
We can all do better. On your children’s 18th birthday, why not give them a real gift? Not a shiny new car but a set of simple legal documents. Although this may not be the gift they want, it is the gift parents will cherish. If you’ve already passed the birthday milestone, no matter. Move forward obtaining documents as soon as possible.
You can make things right by assembling packets for your adult children. As a gift to you, I have obtained documents that are legally sound in Texas and as simple as possible. My trusted friend and attorney, Clyde Farrell, came to the rescue. He’s smart, wicked smart, on all things legal. With a background as an Assistant Attorney General for Texas and twenty-four years in private legal practice, he always gets it right. With four simple documents, the young adults in your family can be set for any unforeseen event. You can find these documents HERE.
