Concerning grandparents and soon to be 17

[Unregistered]

At the moment I am 16, but I will soon be 17. My grandmother, who is very sick, is planning to move out of my mother's apartment when I turn 17. MI want to go with her because I feel it would not only benefit her and her health, but also me. I do get along with my mom, sometimes, but lately I feel as though me being here makes no difference whether I stay or not. My mom is the kind of person to do a complete one-eighty in personality when she has a new man in her life, like she does now. I want to move in with my grandmother, but i don't want to file for emancipation. I want to know if there is anyway I can leave without having to go to court or get in trouble with the law. I do love my mom, but I think that it is time we separate and I live my own life.

I am a very independent person, although I do not have a job at the moment, I do attend high school and am currently going to Glendale Community College on a full scholarship. I am fully capable of taking care of myself and have done so in the past.

My mother is also sick and obtains a small portion of social security and child support on my half. I feel that she relies on it to much and needs to get used to the fact that she will not have it for long, as I will be eighteen in the very near future.

[ccsmod9]

RE: Concerning grandparents and soon to be 17

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us and posting on the National Runaway Safeline bulletin board. We're sorry to hear about your grandmother's poor health; that must be very difficult for you. You sound like a very mature and independent teenager who knows what they want.

Do you think your mother would give you permission to move out and live with your grandmother? We're not legal experts here at NRS, but we can give you some general information about leaving home before 18. In general, you remain your legal guardian's responsibility until age 18, but some teens do move out with parental permission. However, without your mother's permission, your mother could file a runaway report. This is something called a status offense, and is not on your record past age 18; however, your grandmother could then be charged with harboring a runaway. If your mother does not give you permission, you can of course decide if you want to take the risk of leaving without her permission, as some will do. As you already seem familiar with, emancipation is another option, and if that interests you, we can give you more information on that process in your state.

We're here to listen, and to help in any way we can. If you'd like to talk further, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We're available on our safeline 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You can also chat with us from 4:30 to 11:30 pm Central time by going to www.1800runaway.org and clicking the red live chat button in the upper corner. We hope to hear from you soon.

Best of luck,
NRS