text: what are the legal obligations of a guardian? can one be a temporary guardian?   i would say the obligations of a guardian are the same as a parent.  safeguard the child and provide for their basic needs.  i'd imagine that temporary guardians are possible, if say, a single parent is put in jail for something like tax evasion for a couple months.  a temporary guardian, probably someone in the immediate family, would be named guardian for that time.