emancipation

[Guest]

When I was 11 I had to move schools because my dad was imprisoned. then when I was 14 my mom dragged me to a new high school, a year later I was 15 we had to move away from all of my family and friends. my mom got remarried she only knew him for 3 months. now they're getting a divorce and shes moving an hour away and I don't wanna move again. how can I get emancipated without parental consent and find somewhere to live in the town were in now?

[ccsmod6]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like you have been moving around quite a bit and you'd like to figure out a way to talk through some options so that you may live independently. We are happy to help you in any way we can.

It must be hard to feel like once you get settled somewhere, you have to uproot your life and move again. You mentioned that you were fifteen when your mom was last remarried. I'm not sure how long ago that was, but different states have different ages that they consider a person being a "minor". If you live in a state where you are no longer considered a minor, you would be free to make your own choices about where you live and where you enroll in school. You can find whether this applies to your age in the state that you live in here: https://sexetc.org/action-center/sex-in-the-states/.

If you are considered a minor according to your state law, it is a little bit harder to make these choices without parental consent. You mentioned an interest in emancipation. This process also differs from state to state. If you would like to talk further about what this option looks like in your current state, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We do want to let you know that emancipation is generally a long and expensive process.

You mentioned wanting to stay in the town you and your mom are in now. It may be helpful to express this to her. If you have done this previously and it did not go well, or you are too nervous to talk to her about it yourself, here at the NRS, we offer a conference calling service. In this case, you would call into us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), we would talk to you a little about your situation, call out to your parents, talk to them, and then join the call. We be there to support you and do our best to ensure that the conversation remains productive. In these situations, you could discuss staying in town with your parent, or present your idea of an alternate living situation so that you and your mom can both live where you want to live.

If you have any questions for us, would like to use any of the services I mentioned, or want to discuss any more options you may have, feel free to reach out to us at at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are a completely confidential, toll-free safeline, available 24/7. We're here to listen, here to help.

Best of luck,
NRS