During a recent episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloé Kardashian was preparing to give birth to her first child, daughter True. Khloé was second-guessing her initial choice to name her sister Kourtney as the child’s legal guardian in the event something happened to her and the baby’s father, Tristan Thompson.
During her pregnancy, Khloé spent lots of time with her other sister, Kimberly, and her family. Watching her interact with her own kids, Khloé really connected with Kim’s mothering style and pondered if she might be a better choice as guardian.
“I always thought Kourtney would be the godparent of my child, but lately I’ve been watching Kim, and she’s been someone I really gravitate to as a mom,” said Khloé.
To make things more challenging, Kourtney always assumed she’d be named guardian and said as much. Over the years, Khloé had lots of fun times with Kourtney’s family and Kourtney thought her own passion for motherhood would make her the natural choice.
For guidance, Khloé asked her mother, Kris Jenner, how she chose her kids’ guardians. Kris’ answer was to compare how her two sisters raised their own children.
“You just have to think,” Kris told her, “‘Where would I want my child raised, in which environment? Who would I feel like my baby is going to be most comfortable and most loved?’”
In the end, Khloé chose Kim. She explained her decision had nothing to do with her respect or love for Kourtney; it was merely about which style of parenting with which she felt most comfortable.
“Watching Kimberly be a mom, I really respect her parenting skills – not that I don’t respect Kourtney’s, I just relate to how Kim parents more,” said Khloé.
Lessons learned
Khloé’s actions are admirable for several reasons. First off, far too many parents never get around to legally naming a guardian to care for their children in the event of their death or incapacity. Khloé not only made her choice, but she did so before the child was even born.
Khloé also took the time to speak and spend time with her sisters beforehand, so the family understood the rationale behind her decision. Khloé was lucky her choices were close family members, so she had ample opportunity to experience both of their parenting styles.
Depending on your life situation, you might not be able to spend that much time vetting your choice. But at the very least, you should sit down with each of your top candidates to openly discuss what you’d expect of them as your child’s new parents.
Furthermore, with multiple family members vying for the guardian role, Khloé’s quick action may have prevented a potential nightmare. If she’d delayed naming a guardian and something happened to her, Kourtney, Kim, and even other family members could’ve gone to court seeking guardianship of True.
This could have led to years of contentious legal battles that potentially could cost the family huge sums of money and impose incalculable hardship on the children. Even if you think something like this would never happen to your family, why take the risk, especially when its so easy to avoid?
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While the Kardashians are wealthy and famous, you too can provide the exact same level of protection for your kids, even with minimal financial resources. It is imperative as soon as it is physically possible to choose someone who will step in to raise your children if you cannot. You must also legally document your choice and make sure the individual you have selected knows what to do if they are called upon.
NORELL ALBANIS is an estate planning attorney, and can be reached at 239-314-2353 or by visiting albanislaw.com.