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Can You Leave Your Parents' Home at age Seventeen in Texas

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  • 09-01-2014, 10:31 AM
    Amanene13
    Can You Leave Your Parents' Home at age Seventeen in Texas
    Okay, I move back to Texas from Colorado a month or so ago. After the move my parents hardly try at all to find a stable job, my father has been doing little odd jobs that pay little to no money, my mother is too lazy and mentally unstable to work anywhere else than TDC (which she has not been hired yet at said place.) In my current living situation not even I can get a job. During the past few years my parents have been resenting me more and more. What I mean by this is that they dislike my life choices and say they care for me only when they don't get their way. If my father sees me cry, he'll believe that I'm having another emotional breakdown which he can't have since he's cheap. My mother is, as I said before, mentally unstable. She acts like a child and is extremely lazy. She doesn't like my friend (who I trust with my life.), and believes he corrupted me. Making me want to leave and such. Of course I want to leave! My mother is just way too clingy. When I told her that she was my motive of leaving, she just went ahead to tell me some sob story of how much she loves me just to make me leave. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I desperately want to leave Texas and go to Torrance, CA to live with a friend and his family. (Who I trust with my life) I'm sure my story sounds generic, but I'm being completely honest. If my parents tried to report me as missing that would be a lie seeing how they would know where I was at and had a way to contact me. Would not being able to financially take care of me be a form of neglect? I just really need to leave. I hope at least someone can help me out. Tell me who I need to see about this etc.
  • 09-01-2014, 10:46 AM
    eerelations
    Re: Wanting to Leave Parents in Texas at age Seventeen
    You cannot be emancipated under these circumstances. Emancipation laws are very narrow and your situation simply doesn't fall into the narrow category. To be emancipated, you must prove that you have no one to be your parent or guardian (usually because said parents/guardians are dead or incarcerated), and that you have a full time job that earns you enough to support yourself. Your parents are alive and free, so that rules out emancipation altogether, forget about the job part.

    In order for you to legally live in Torrance without being emancipated, your parents must give you permission to go live there. (And before you ask, no there is no legal way to force their permission against their will. None.) If they don't give you permission and you go anyway, your parents can have the police forcibly return you (cuffs 'n' all) home from Torrance. They don't have to report you missing to do this, all they have to do is tell the police "Get thee to Torrance and bring her home." And while they're doing this, the police will also charge your friend's adult family members with harboring a minor, at minimum. (Maybe even kidnapping, especially if they have a hand in transporting you to Torrance.)

    (And why your friend's adult family members would place themselves at risk for this I don't know. Either they're crazy or stupid. Why do you want to live with crazy and/or stupid lawbreakers?)
  • 09-01-2014, 11:08 AM
    cbg
    Re: Wanting to Leave Parents in Texas at age Seventeen
    I just want to clarify one point.

    Texas has a quirk in the law that will make it difficult for law enforcement to return a 17 year old runaway who is in a safe place. Not impossible, but difficult. The fact that she is crossing state lines may make it easier. Also, there is nothing whatsoever in the law that would prohibit her parents from going to Torrance themselves, tossing her in the car, and taking her back home themselves. It is quite true that charges could be placed against the family who harbors her.

    Bottom line, OP; if you want to be able to leave without any possible consequences, you need to wait till your 18th birthday. On that date, you can walk out the door and never look back, and no one can do a thing about it. Until then, how much difficulty you (and your friends) can be in will depend on how determined your parents are to have you return. While it might be that nothing would happen, it is by no means definite that you and your friends would be legally in the clear.
  • 09-01-2014, 03:04 PM
    Amanene13
    Re: Wanting to Leave Parents in Texas at age Seventeen
    Thanks for replying. I wouldn't ever consider "running away".
  • 09-01-2014, 03:13 PM
    eerelations
    Re: Wanting to Leave Parents in Texas at age Seventeen
    But going to Torrance without your parents' permission is running away!
  • 09-01-2014, 06:30 PM
    cbg
    Re: Wanting to Leave Parents in Texas at age Seventeen
    Quote:

    Quoting Amanene13
    View Post
    Thanks for replying. I wouldn't ever consider "running away".

    Then you need to stay where you are until either your parents give you permission to leave, or you turn 18, whichever comes first. You WILL be considered a runaway otherwise.
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