A husband and wife were killed in a car accident on a regular Wednesday afternoon. The kids were at school. The parents never came home. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings all wanted to take those children in, and none of them could, because the school had no authorization to release them to anyone. Child Protective Services stepped in. The family spent almost half a year fighting each other in probate court, all of it out of love. This is the family that changed how I practice.
What I Said
From my September 10 Parents Edition workshop at the Cambria Hotel in Calabasas, lightly edited for readability.
Husband and wife were killed in a car accident. It was a regular Wednesday afternoon. Kids were at school, parents never came home. What happened is the kids got stuck in the system. I have to mention that it was an Armenian family, and you probably know how close that community is.
Uncles, nieces, grandparents, brothers, sisters, all close, they all wanted to step in and take care of the kids. But they couldn't, because the school didn't have authorization who they can release the kids to. Child Protective Services would come in and take the kids.
And it took the family almost half a year, and of course there was fighting amongst them, from good intentions in this case, because, you know, grandparents want to take them, "We are the best," or brothers and sisters. And they actually fought in probate court seeking guardianship of those kids.
So there's tragedy. The child lost parents, and on top of it, instead of being in their own beds or in houses of people that they love and trust, they were placed somewhere else.
I have, you know, goosebumps as yours when I talk about it, because it is so unnecessary and so unfair to kids, just because parents failed to plan.
Besides being a lawyer, I am a mother, daughter, business owner, member of this community, so I know exactly from my own experience how it is important to take care of your affairs.
The full talk, written down: Who Picks Up Your Child From School if You Never Come Home?
More on this topic: Wills
More From the Workshop
- The Family That Changed How I Practice
- He Decided a Trust Was Too Expensive. Two Years Later, Dementia.
- Put a Note on the Fridge: Do Not Call the Police
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