Deceased First Name: Kevin
Deceased Last Name: Walton
Deceased Date of Death: 7/15/01
Surrogate's Court County: Essex
Surrrogate's Court State: NJ
Tell Your Story: My son's father died leaving him an insurance policy. the courts then informed me that I had to be made guardian over his monies, for what good I don't know because I'm not able to touch the monies to take care of my son. I was told that if he needed clothing I would have to go to the stores and lay-away his clothing, then bring the receipts to the surrogate courts, then it would go before a judge and then he would determine "if I have spent to much money or if an item I purchased for my child with his money was to much. And to top it all off I have to pay a fee any where from $13.00 to $23.00 to do this. Imagine I have to pay the courts to release his money for clothing for him, when I never asked them to get involved in the first place. My son is accoustom to wearing a certain brand of sneakers and clothing, a life style in which his father had him accoustomed to. If his dad was alive no amount for his clothing would be to much as his father was a very sharp dresser who believed in buying quality clothing, he would even spend as much as 15-20 dollars for just a belt. Why is it now that my son has to be subjected to shopping in stores where they have no clothing that he wears, when he has all of this money sitting in the hands of surrogate ccourt to say and do as they please with. I think it is an outrage the mothers have to be made to feel like they are inadequate of taking care of and making decisions for their children when I have done it for the past 12 years of his life and continue to do so everyday with no complaints ever from his father or any other persons involved in his daily life especially none from my son. This is the most horrible thing and degrading thing I have ever had to encounter as a mother, for someone else, who doesnot even know my son or care if he is hungry, cold, dead or etc... to be able to have so much say so and control over his needs, especially when it is HIS MONEY. Not one dime has the courts worked for or payed into, and then to have them making money off mothers who are left to deal with this horror and the lost of the other parent, by charging a fee to withdraw that which belongs to the child any way. Something has to be done. I intend to write my senator and whatever and who ever else necessary to change this controlling, degrading law.
Your e-mail address: bdavis@nps.k12nj.us