Your child is officially an adult! Congratulations. You are not legally responsible for them anymore. You can relax.
UNLESS…..
Unless your child has complex or chronic health needs. Then it might be a while before you can relax. Sometimes families* don’t know what they needed to do before to their child’s 18th birthday until after their child’s 18th birthday.
For those who didn’t know or didn’t know soon enough, it was like all the rules changed overnight and nobody told you. There were so many things that you were supposed to do – guardianship, releases of information, medical power of attorney, mental health power of attorney, power of attorney power of attorney, shared decision making, informed consent, insurance, doctors, medications, school, work, phone calls, signatures, appointments, transportation, etc. but how would you know if nobody told you?
This – and typical teenager stuff. Mood swings, social media, rebellion, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, hormones, responsibilities, pressure, becoming their own person, gradual movement towards independence. It is a mental and emotional adjustment for the whole family.
SO WHAT NOW?
We have simple answers to complex questions for parents, spouses, siblings and other important people involved in a young adult’s life. Contact us!
*Family is always defined as family of choice – meaning that family includes individuals who may not be connected by biology or marriage, but are bound together by shared experiences, care and commitment. For our purposes, “choice family members” are the people who have been actively involved in the child’s life and share responsibilities for the child’s healthcare.