One of the most loved children’s fairy tales of all times is the classic “Cinderella.” We all remember Cinderella because, in the end, she lives happily ever after with the handsome prince. Her road to her fairy tale ending, however, is a bit bumpy.
Cinderella loses her mother when she is very young. He father then re-marries to a woman who happens to have two daughters of her own who are close to Cinderella’s age. Cinderella is despised by both her new step-mother and her two new step-sisters. Cinderella’s plight gets worse when her father also dies. Now, Cinderella is totally without allies. Luckily, her fairy godmother shows up and saves the day.
In real life, however, fairy godmothers don’t really show up and pave the way for a fairy tale ending. Cinderella’s plight though is a common one. When a parent re-marries, the new blended family often goes through a difficult adjustment period. Sometimes, the members of the new blended family never really learn how to get along, much less feel real affection for each other. As a result, a scenario similar to Cinderella’s can actually occur without careful estate planning.
If you are creating a blended family, be sure that you create a comprehensive estate plan that provides for, and protects, any existing children before your new marriage. Trusting your new spouse to care for those children is a wonderful concept, but doing it yourself through creating a thorough estate plan is the only sure way.
