need legal help

[Unregistered]

I'm 16 going to be 17 July 22nd 2014. I live in California with my mom and 5 other brothers and sisters, I'm the oldest. my mom does not care of my well being. she lets me run the streets all hours of the day and night, she sells drugs, doesn't care if I'm in school or not, kicks me out constantly, knows of my smoking habits and supports it, leaves me to watch my younger siblings all the time, we move from house to house, I'm even on probation because of the decisions I was making, not blaming my mom for that, but I wouldn't of been able to do the things I did if I had some sort of discipline. as far as my dad, he has not been in the picture until recently. around the beginning of December of 2013 I found out my girlfriend was pregnant. my mom didn't support this or our relationship, and if me and my girlfriend came into contact of any sort she threatened to call the cops. so as of the end of December me and my girlfriend left state to move in with her mom, who was supporting us fully. leaving state caused me to violate my probation. I constantly reminded my mom that I was leaving, she responded she didn't care, she was better off. even after I left California I still contacted my mom to let her know I was ok, she even sent me money every now and than, (she knew the city and state I was in) but once my dad contacted her asking of my where abouts, she lied and said she didn't know where I was, which led my dad to contact my probation officer and to file a missing person report. I don't understand why all of a sudden he wants to be a father to me. I asked my mom if i could go home, she said no and changed her number. not being able to contact my mom, I finally contacted my dad and he said I couldn't live with him either. so I continued to live with my pregnant girlfriend and her mom, I couldn't get into school without either parent being present, so i started applying for jobs. im doing way better out here than i was in California. but today my mom and dad showed up out here, got the cops involved, and because im under 18 i had no choice but to leave my girlfriend and unborn child. i was thinking of emancipation but because im on probation it makes my chances lower. my son is due in a few months and i was wondering if theres anything i can do to stay out here? legally.

[ccsmod0]

re: need legal help

Hi,

Thanks for posting here and sharing your story with us. It certainly sounds like you’re going through a lot. It sounds really confusing that your parents weren’t that much involved in your life and then all of sudden, they show up at your door. It seems like you were making a life for yourself with your girlfriend and her family, it must be so frustrating to be faced with the possibility of you having to leave. It’s understandable that you don’t feel good about this. It was smart of you to reach out, so let’s see how we can help you out tonight.

We aren’t legal experts here, but in our experience, because your mom is your legal guardian, she has the right to decide where you live. If she decides that you need to come back to CA, then that is her right to decide that, and the police would most likely force you back. We can imagine that you don’t feel like this is fair, because your parents haven’t been there to support you for much of your life.

So here might be some options for you. Explaining to the police what has been going on in home and explaining to them how your parents didn’t allow you to go home after you left CA can be helpful because it is considered neglect to not provide a living environment for a child. Now that doesn’t mean that the police would let you stay with your girlfriend, but it might open the door to have your mom removed as your guardian. You also have the right to file an abuse report with the state of California. To look up where to make that report, check out this website (http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/res/pd...ergNumbers.pdf).

Also, you mentioned emancipation. You’re right that being on probation could hurt your chances. If you’d like to contact a lawyer and get more specific information, you can contact Legal Services for Children at 1-888-292-4252.

We hope that this information is helpful to you. You are clearly going through a lot right now. The potential of having to leave your girlfriend and your child, as well as facing the consequences for breaking probation can be scary. You are brave and smart and it sounds like you’re trying to do the right thing. That is admirable to say the least.

If you’d like to talk more, or have any other questions at all, please call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are anonymous and confidential. If you aren’t able to call, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time.
We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you,

NRS