Lawyer Mom Explains Why She Never Signs Liability Waivers For Her Kids

When you plan a trip to a trampoline park with the kids or head to an inside playground for a birthday party, there is usually a waiver given before entrance that parents fill out. This waiver of liability basically waives the participating member’s right to sue if there is severe injury or even death.

I have to admit that I have filled out these forms without a second thought, typically banking on the fact that everything will be fine. However, one mom and personal injury attorney says to hold off on signing any liability form to protect yourself and your children.

“I do not waive my child’s rights when it comes to waiving liability in the event of a catastrophic injury or death when my child does certain things or engages in certain activities. I just won’t do it,” Shannon Schott, mom and personal injury attorney, begins in her viral video.

She decided to explain her process for avoiding these kinds of forms after discussing the issue with other parents who always believed that liability forms had to be filled out because participating in whatever activity or event was happening.

“First and foremost, if people are not paying attention, I just don’t do it. If someone says you have to go online and sign a waiver, I say, ‘OK, thanks,’ and I don’t do it, and no one checks, and that’s not on me. That’s me being smart and not waiving my child’s rights,” she explained before noting that just because she doesn’t sign anything doesn’t mean she is trying to “catfish” anyone into a lawsuit.

“Obviously, we are very safe. We follow rules ... I’m just not willing to waive my child’s rights in the event that they are injured through no fault of their own or, of course, if they died.”

So, what does Schott do when she’s met with a form from an employee? She fakes it.

“If I’m required to go to a kiosk and type in a little form, I just don’t put in the correct information because, again, I’m not willing to agree to waive any of my child’s rights. And then if I’m forced with a form that is a piece of paper, I sign the piece of paper, and then on the section that waives my child’s rights, I draw a line and I write, ‘decline.’ I also do this when the school presents me with waivers of liability for field trips. I write a line across it to the parts that I’m not willing to agree to. I write ‘decline,’ and then I sign it. And if someone says, ‘Well, then you can’t come in here,’ that’s fine,” she noted.

She then shares a message to all parents about waiving the rights of their child’s safety.

“Do not waive liability for your kid to go jump in a sh*tty little trampoline park or go on some stupid little ride. Just don’t do it,” she warns.

“And if you’re being forced to sign something in order for your child to do something that they really want to do, like a sport or an activity, just decline the part that says, ‘I absolve you of all liability, even if you kill my kid.’ Just write in ‘decline,’ sign it, and hope that no one challenges it because they’re just collecting pieces of paper. They want to stick in your file and know that they have a signed document.”

“They might miss the part where you decline the terms. Why? Because if something happens to your child and you go to an attorney and you ask for help, you do not want them to tell you that there’s nothing they can do.”

With this kind of viewpoint, there is always another risk involved and that’s the risk of your kid being left out of things. Surely, a parent who refuses to sign waivers or permission slips will eventually run into the situation of their kid being denied the opportunity to go somewhere where the rest of their classmates or friends are having a blast.

“I went to school with a kid whose parents never signed a waiver when we were invited to a birthday party at an indoor/outdoor park. He was called the bubble kid and picked on for the rest of his life,” one user said.

Though that argument was made several times in Schott’s comment section, her response did not mince words.

“Oh no. Is he still alive?” she remarked.

Whether or not you take her advice, it’s important to stop and think about all those legal forms you’re signing for your kid and what consequences they could have.