Category Archives: Parenting

My Little Morphée – Review

Today is World Mental Health Day, a time for us to really focus on the health and well being of ourselves and those around us. A time to help break the taboo. Today seems like the perfect day to share a review of a product we have been using with L, My Little Morphée.

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The Pros and Cons of Leaving Your Children with Unequal Inheritances

When parents pass away, it is understandably upsetting but can be made to feel worse when one child is left with a larger inheritance than another. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of leaving your children with unequal inheritances.

Most children that have siblings expect to share their inheritance equally with their siblings and don’t expect to find out that one or more siblings have inherited more than themselves. But this does happen in some cases and can cause considerable issues when not discussed prior to their parent’s passing.

The problem with unequal inheritances is the possibility for contested probate to occur, where family members dispute the Will in hopes of receiving more money. For matters like these, a solicitors for probate can provide specialist assistance, including the advice and guidance needed to get through this difficult period.

Want to know the pros and cons of leaving your children with unequal inheritances? Keep reading to find out more…

Why Might Someone Leave Their Children Unequal Inheritances?

There could be many reasons why parents make the decision to leave their children unequal inheritances, from family disputes to one child needing the inheritance more than the others.

How stuff works provides an interesting and helpful article: When is it ok to leave kids unequal inheritance?

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Examples of where parents may decide to leave their children unequal inheritances include:

One Child Needs Additional Support

Being a parent isn’t easy, especially when your child has a disability or they have suffered an injury that requires them to have additional support or time away from work. There might even be scenarios where they are experiencing financial difficulty or something else entirely.

In circumstances like these, parents may feel more inclined to support that child by leaving them a more substantial inheritance. For example, leaving them the family property instead of splitting it between their children.

They No Longer Have a Relationship

While this point is understandably sad, some parents and their children don’t have a good relationship or one at all. If a parent is in this position, they may decide to leave their child with no inheritance or a smaller amount compared to what they leave to their other children.

One Child Became Their Primary Caregiver

Sometimes when you become older and less able to do tasks for yourself, you may find that one of your children becomes your primary caregiver. This could be that you move into their property, and they help you with day-to-day tasks, such as feeding you, bathing you, etc.

In response to this, you may feel like you want to reward and thank your child for their assistance during your time of need by leaving them a larger inheritance, especially if they have done this without asking you for any compensation.

They Have Both Biological Children and Step Children

Some individuals may have remarried later in life and gained step children that they wish to share their estate with. Step children are still family, and often step parents and step children have a strong relationship, but if the marriage occurred in later life, the relationship you may have with your biological children is likely different. This could mean you are more inclined to leave them with a larger inheritance.

What are the Pros of Leaving Your Children with Unequal Inheritances?

It’s easy to presume that there is no good reason for leaving your children an unequal inheritance, but in some circumstances, there are some advantages to doing so, including:

Providing Support to a Child That Needs it

If one of your children is worse financially than your other children, leaving them a higher inheritance can provide the support that they need. This could be if they are still studying, whether at school or university, or they could earn a lower salary, have a large amount of debt, or perhaps they have learning difficulties, are disabled or have an injury which is impacting them long term.

Leaving them with a larger inheritance can provide you with comfort knowing that they are sufficiently financially supported even after you pass.

couple sitting on chairs discussing inheritances
Photo by Arthur Mazi on Pexels.com

What Are the Cons of Leaving Your Children With Unequal Inheritances?

Contentious Probate

Deciding to give your children unequal inheritances without discussing it prior to your death could potentially lead to contentious probate disputes. If there is no reason as to why you have left your children an unequal inheritance, it is very likely that this is going to cause problems between your children.

Risk of Family Disputes

Unfortunately, in the waking of death, it doesn’t mean that disputes between family members don’t happen. In fact, in most circumstances, that is where they start or increase, especially when children are unhappy with the unequal inheritance they have received from their parents.

Leaving your children with unequal inheritances could potentially break up the family dynamic. So it’s important to consider what the aftermath might be before you make any big decisions.

Consider Talking to Your Children First…

What we can conclude from this article is that while many would find unequal inheritances unfair, there might be a clear reason for it. But if that is the case, make sure to talk to your children first and explain why you have made this decision, because without doing this, there is the potential for contentious probate and/or family disputes to occur.

For helpful info on leaving unequal inheritance, see here.

Let us know your thoughts on unequal inheritances in the comment box below.

Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained wills and probate professional. Be sure to consult a wills and probate professional if you’re seeking advice about your will. We are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Disclosure – this is a collaborative post

How Can I Feel More Confident About My Child’s Future?

With the state of the world constantly changing, you may have concerns about different aspects of your child’s future. While you may not be able to directly control the world or even your child, you might be able to put things into place that can help to remove some of these anxieties. This way, you can at least know that you did as much as you could to give them a positive future. The rest may be up to them to achieve.

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It’s Time to Talk Breastfeeding

A new survey recently released has sadly revealed that nearly 1 in 10 (7%) British women would feel uncomfortable discussing their breastfeeding struggles with their partner. The survey, conducted by Multi-Mam breastfeeding compresses, found the same number of women said they would also feel uncomfortable discussing these issues with their GP and 11% said they would even feel uncomfortable talking about their struggles with their mum.1

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Common Breastfeeding Problems

5 Common Breastfeeding problems and how to overcome them

Breastfeeding your new baby can be difficult, and with side effects like sore nipples, engorgement and thrush, sometimes it can be hard to keep going. To help you on your breastfeeding journey, Lactation Consultant, Kitty Hackel offers her best tips and advice on some common breastfeeding problems and how you can overcome them.

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Mindful Minis – Mindful Month

I am a big fan of mindfulness, I meditate and enjoy yoga when I can. After spending the vast majority of my adult life, if not all of my adult life struggling with my mental health I can safely say finding mindfulness was a turning point for me.

Journalling, meditating and just being more aware helped change me as a person. I became more aware of what was good in my life, what made me happy and what I needed to be more level. It helped me notice sooner when I was falling under and it helped me pull my way back up.

Mindful Minis Mindful Month Journal
The Mindful Minis – Mindful Month Journal
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Back to School – Again

I’m feeling really weird about all the back to school messaging right now. I’m pleased he’s going back, he needs it, I’ve tried my best but ultimately I’m not a teacher and in a very poor substitute for playtime with his friends. I’m also sad he’s going back, I really will miss him. I’m worried too, worried it’s too much, too soon, concerned that it might lead to further lockdowns and the impact that would have.

Now I need to stress that these are just the rather muddled thoughts of a stressed out, worried, tired and confused mum. This is not a well balanced, researched and thought out view on the current state of affairs. I know very little about politics. I haven’t researched anything. I’m just trying to get by and writing helps.

Home learning
Home schooling has been interesting
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Super Useful Car ACCESSORIES from Apramo

There are so many baby products out there it can be hard to know what to buy, either for yourself or if you are getting gifts for others. Apramo have some amazing car accessories that are so useful and a must for any parent. A truly useful gift.

When I had L I made sure to check all the lists and get all the things they said you would need for a new baby. Some I did need and found really useful, nursing pillow, bouncer, baby bath. Some I most definitely did not need, like the Bumbo, room thermometer and dummies. Because you see, different kids, need different things and you’ll work most of it out as you go along.

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All Treats No Tricks this Halloween

I have to admit I have never been a big Halloween fan, but L loves it so much, his joy over this fun holiday has spread throughout the house.

Halloween we're ready!
Halloween we’re ready!

In the past I would have done nothing other than turn of the lights and pretend I wasn’t home. Maybe when I was a teenager I would have found myself at a Halloween party, but other than shoving a novelty witches hat on my head it would have been no different to any other weekend with my friends.  Continue reading All Treats No Tricks this Halloween