The value of an ethical will is that it not only satisfies legal estate requirements held by your state, but it also provides a timeline of your emotional and spiritual evolution. It can be used as a family history, a personal history or an abbreviated version of your memoirs. When many people learn about spiritual ethical wills they ask how old they “should” be when they start their will. The answer is, you can be any age.
Because ethical wills are a personal expression and history they can be started earlier in life than a normal last will and testament. In fact, writing entries for your ethical will can be a family event that includes young children, teenagers and adult children. Writing entries for the family’s ethical will can actually be a great way to introduce the topics of death, legacy and heritage to your children.
The age of your children really needs to dictate that focus of your talks about ethical wills. Very young children can be introduced to the process of writing entries for an ethical will as a way to create a personal history, and then wait until they are older to discuss death. Older kids who have already experienced the death of a grandparent or pet can be introduced to deeper discussions about what an ethical will is and death in general.
While few people enjoy talking about death and wills, they are both natural parts of life that will impact everyone on Earth. Writing a family history for your ethical will is a great way to introduce the issue of death in a non-threatening manner. For more information on writing a will visit Spiritual Ethical Will.
Many people think about writing their ethical wills when they find out that they are having a baby. If you are expecting, now is a great time to begin your ethical will. Include information about how you feel about becoming parents, what you hope your child will accomplish in their life and what you want them to know about your pre-baby relationships with each other.
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