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I'm watching my 12 year old niece and nephew (twins) through Sunday while my brother and his wife are out of town for a funeral.
They were dropped off at my place last night.
I'm taking them to the zoo on saturday(they've been fully vaccinated) and there is a junior zip line course that their parents said they could do, and they are very excited about it.
The problem is my dumb self didn't read the fine print until just now, and I see that the parents or legal (court appointed) guardians have to sign a waiver and actually be on site for a child to participate in the zip line.
Well I have never been the kind of guy to break his promises, especially when made to a child. So this got me thinking, would anyone really know?
After all, at the age of 31, I'm old enough to be their parent, I'm 19 years older than them. And when I've taken them for activities in the past, I've naturally been mistaken for being their parent on multiple occasions.
So what if I just fill out the forms myself, listing them as my son and daughter?
They dont. Its just to cover their A.
I signed all documents for my grand from 2014-2019. His parents left him with me and I could not get legal guardianship. There were only two times my signature/legal statute was questioned. One was getting his drivers permit and one for oral surgery.
Nobody asked because nothing happened. Somebody will ask when something happens.
Why can the parents not contact the zoo for guidance?
Well the info I read on the website. Its not just about signing the form it says being present on site. And in any case they are going to the funeral of one of their oldest friends from childhood who died of cancer. So I'm not going to trouble them over something like this. I got their permission for the zip line itself when they dropped the kids off last night.
You may be right that no one has asked because nothing happened, and if something happens, someone will ask.
That goes back to part of my query where I mentioned:
"If anyone asks, I'm their dad."
I did consider the possibility of them getting hurt, thus the waiver.
But then I got to thinking: its not like this is an adult zipline course in some developing country, its a child's course at the metro zoo. That a hundred kids go on every day.
With all the safety features and supervision they must have for something like that, I think they have a better chance of getting injured in a car crash on the way over there, than they do on the zipline itself.
So thus I'm asking, is there any realistic way anyone would know, and are there any consequences for that?
In other words, I give the ticket taker back the form saying theyre my kids, and the ticket taker somehow smells a rat, and concludes I'm some other relative, and not their legal guardian.
I'm watching my 12 year old niece and nephew (twins) through Sunday while my brother and his wife are out of town for a funeral.
They were dropped off at my place last night.
I'm taking them to the zoo on saturday(they've been fully vaccinated) and there is a junior zip line course that their parents said they could do, and they are very excited about it.
The problem is my dumb self didn't read the fine print until just now, and I see that the parents or legal (court appointed) guardians have to sign a waiver and actually be on site for a child to participate in the zip line.
Well I have never been the kind of guy to break his promises, especially when made to a child. So this got me thinking, would anyone really know?
After all, at the age of 31, I'm old enough to be their parent, I'm 19 years older than them. And when I've taken them for activities in the past, I've naturally been mistaken for being their parent on multiple occasions.
So what if I just fill out the forms myself, listing them as my son and daughter?
Then I give it to the zoo employees.
How do they know I'm not their dad?
So two things. First, I highly doubt that the form requires it to be signed by a court appointed guardian, it probably says legal guardian, which there is a very good argument that you are. You were placed in guardianship over their child. I think the waiver would be enforced for this reason. Second, you absolutely have apparent authority to sign on the parent's behalf, so I think the document could be enforced for this reason. But this is really all its about. If the kids are hurt, can the zoo or third-party contractor running the zip line hold the release valid to protect them. That is all this is about. In my opinion, it is not going to be a problem for them to do so. A far more interesting question is whether those waivers are worth anything, and that varies greatly by state and the language that they use.
For your purposes, just sign it. No criminal or civil liability will attach to you in the circumstances you describe.
9/10 there won't be a problem. 1/10 could have some serious financial consequences at the least and maybe beyond if something really goes awry.
cd :O)
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