"Mama Bear" Legal Forms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did the MB forms for my D23 who was going to college 18 hours away. After additional research, realized that it was probably unnecessary. We agreed to keep them in place while he’s away at school and then revoke the POA upon graduation. The financial POA could be problematic for students who have parents who get themselves into financial difficulties & then “borrow” money from their kid’s accounts…this happens more often than people realize. I wish the kids signing these forms knew the future ramifications of them in case things go sideways with their families, just to protect themselves

+1. Plus this seller admits on their site that they have no legal background.

A sucker is born every day.

[Anonymous]

I don't think these forms are for everybody. however, my wife and I have the best intentions and our daughter trusts us but she is 3 states away now. We are still essentially responsible for her even though she is legally an adult, so why wouldn't we BOTH want them. We don't plan on meddling in her life but there is always a what if scenario. Car accidents, sports accidents, mental illness, or whatever unexpected crises could happen. I purchased a POA from happylegal.com - its what they specialize in. After reading it I think it is very comprehensive which is what I want. We can get a cancelation form from them which would effectively terminate the power of attorney at any time. Too not have this protection seems irresponsible to me. For $79 someone please tell me why I'm wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think these forms are for everybody. however, my wife and I have the best intentions and our daughter trusts us but she is 3 states away now. We are still essentially responsible for her even though she is legally an adult, so why wouldn't we BOTH want them. We don't plan on meddling in her life but there is always a what if scenario. Car accidents, sports accidents, mental illness, or whatever unexpected crises could happen. I purchased a POA from happylegal.com - its what they specialize in. After reading it I think it is very comprehensive which is what I want. We can get a cancelation form from them which would effectively terminate the power of attorney at any time. Too not have this protection seems irresponsible to me. For $79 someone please tell me why I'm wrong.

i should add that it is a financial, health (with HIPAA) and FERPA all in one document.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think these forms are for everybody. however, my wife and I have the best intentions and our daughter trusts us but she is 3 states away now. We are still essentially responsible for her even though she is legally an adult, so why wouldn't we BOTH want them. We don't plan on meddling in her life but there is always a what if scenario. Car accidents, sports accidents, mental illness, or whatever unexpected crises could happen. I purchased a POA from happylegal.com - its what they specialize in. After reading it I think it is very comprehensive which is what I want. We can get a cancelation form from them which would effectively terminate the power of attorney at any time. Too not have this protection seems irresponsible to me. For $79 someone please tell me why I'm wrong.

You're looking at it the wrong way. Do you know of anyone anywhere who is the parent of an unmarried child who had a need for someone to make a decision for them when they were unable to and could not? It is like your spouse: if your spouse was unconscious, they ask the other spouse what should be done. No hospital is going to refuse to treat a child because of no POA when the relative is willing and able to make decisions.

Absolutely not needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do anyone actually get these forms?

My husband and I didn't have anything like that for ourselves, what's the benefit if any at all?

We got them for our 2 out of state college kids- easy, cheap, and gave me peace of mind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think these forms are for everybody. however, my wife and I have the best intentions and our daughter trusts us but she is 3 states away now. We are still essentially responsible for her even though she is legally an adult, so why wouldn't we BOTH want them. We don't plan on meddling in her life but there is always a what if scenario. Car accidents, sports accidents, mental illness, or whatever unexpected crises could happen. I purchased a POA from happylegal.com - its what they specialize in. After reading it I think it is very comprehensive which is what I want. We can get a cancelation form from them which would effectively terminate the power of attorney at any time. Too not have this protection seems irresponsible to me. For $79 someone please tell me why I'm wrong.

You're looking at it the wrong way. Do you know of anyone anywhere who is the parent of an unmarried child who had a need for someone to make a decision for them when they were unable to and could not? It is like your spouse: if your spouse was unconscious, they ask the other spouse what should be done. No hospital is going to refuse to treat a child because of no POA when the relative is willing and able to make decisions.

Absolutely not needed.

Yes, our 19 had a first manic episode while in college and without FERPA, HIPAA in place we had absolutely no access to any information. Luckily, I'm a physician and figured out what was going on because of his texts. But the school refused to offer any insight or help, outside of one really kind RA who told us we had about 24 hours to get him home before they were going to call the police to take him to the ER. Without HIPAA or POA, we'd have no access to information and no power to guide his treatment. Even with the kind RA, we had no access to the dorm, and my husband basically flew up, and sat outside his dorm so they could have conversations every time he came out. He eventually talked him onto a plane, got him home, into a treatment facility of our choice and got the forms signed as soon as he was stable and agreeable.

It was utterly terrifying and we are really, really lucky things turned out as well as they did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Do you know of anyone anywhere who is the parent of an unmarried child who had a need for someone to make a decision for them when they were unable to and could not?

Yes.

Hospitals vary. State laws vary. One can get lucky most of the time, but having the right document in the corner case will make all the difference.

And I know of one case where a local hospital would not even provide medical status to a spouse because they had different family names.

anonymous wrote:No hospital is going to refuse to treat a child because of no POA when the relative is willing and able to make decisions.

The student is an adult, not a minor, and in some places with some hospitals that makes all the difference. I know of cases where they did refuse to consult parent or relative about treatment - not many cases but a few. Maybe that is how things ought to work, but reality differs from that some of the time.

I wish the quoted text above always were true, but in my experience it is not _always_ true. It is true most of the time, just not all of the time.

[Anonymous]

I would probably get a Medical POA, Financial POA, and a FERPA waiver -- but I would get them from a local lawyer not a web site.

[Anonymous]

My kid has anxiety and I wanted the FERPA form signed along with HIPAA so I could be contacted in case of a meltdown.

I wasn't at all concerned about grades etc, and actively did not want anything to do with the financial POA.

However, kid refused to sign. Apparently, there are a bunch of TicTocs advising kids not to sign. So I wasted $79.

Thankfully, kid seems to be okay mentally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has anxiety and I wanted the FERPA form signed along with HIPAA so I could be contacted in case of a meltdown.

I wasn't at all concerned about grades etc, and actively did not want anything to do with the financial POA.

However, kid refused to sign. Apparently, there are a bunch of TicTocs advising kids not to sign. So I wasted $79.

Thankfully, kid seems to be okay mentally.

NP. Declining the HIPAA waiver and the FERPA waiver would mean our DC would be cut off from us financially. If we are paying, then agreeing to those two simply are not negotiable.

[Anonymous]

Different states has different signature requirements. If your kids are in a state the requires two witnesses then your no witness VA form is useless.