Hi, My 16 year old girlfriend needs to be emancipated from her mother. We live in Iowa. Her Mother divorced her real father a long time ago and is getting a very very large sum of child support for her. Her mother had re-married, and had two other children and is now divorcing him as well. My girlfriend is 16, but will be 17 in a couple months, she works and makes an ok amount of money. She pretty much takes care of herself now as it is, she buys her own food and clothes. I believe that she would be able to support herself if she was emancipated. The reasons to spark this need to be emancipated are as follows; She has no privacy at her house (she hasnt had a functioning door for more than a year, her mother routinly searches her things as well), She is neglected at home (there is usualy no food in the house and she is usualy put in charge of watching her two younger half-brothers), she is emotionaly and verbally abused by her mother (she often insults her intelligence, says she is worthless, etc.), and overall living with her mother is having a negative effect on her wellness and is beginning to cause depression and anxiety. She needs to be emancipated as soon as possible, and we dont know what all we need to do. She has a guarenteed place to live already, she has a stable job, and she is mature. Thank you for your help, and i apologize for the really bad construction of this post. Thanks, remember, this is in Iowa
16-Year-Old Girlfriend Needs to be Emancipated
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10-22-2007, 12:53 PMMichael77716-Year-Old Girlfriend Needs to be Emancipated
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10-22-2007, 12:55 PMMichael777Re: 16 year old girlfriend needs emancipated
I also forgot to ask, What would happen with the child support? and i would like to add, her mother has not had a job in a very long time, dunno if that matters.
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10-22-2007, 12:55 PMmoburkesRe: 16 year old girlfriend needs emancipated
Iowa has no emancipation law.
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10-22-2007, 12:59 PMMichael777Re: 16 year old girlfriend needs emancipated
Thats what ive been told. But i also talked to someone today who got themselves emancipated, in Iowa, at the age of 16. So i know it can be done. I also talked to a local police officer and he said it could be done but that he didnt know about it, but he gave me the number for a juvenile law guy.
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10-22-2007, 12:59 PMmoburkesRe: 16 year old girlfriend needs emancipatedHow much she receives in child support is not her business, nor yours.Quote:
Quoting Michael777
Again, not your business.Quote:
Her mother had re-married, and had two other children and is now divorcing him as well.
Based on what you've written, even if there was an emancipation statute, which there isn't, she wouldn't qualify, in most states. She would need to be able to live on her own and pay rent, utilities, transportation, for food, etc, and without public assistance.Quote:
My girlfriend is 16, but will be 17 in a couple months, she works and makes an ok amount of money. She pretty much takes care of herself now as it is, she buys her own food and clothes. I believe that she would be able to support herself if she was emancipated.
If she has no food at all at home, then she should contact Child Protective Services, which may remove her and her siblings from the home, and place them in foster care.Quote:
The reasons to spark this need to be emancipated are as follows; She has no privacy at her house (she hasnt had a functioning door for more than a year, her mother routinly searches her things as well), She is neglected at home (there is usualy no food in the house and she is usualy put in charge of watching her two younger half-brothers), she is emotionaly and verbally abused by her mother (she often insults her intelligence, says she is worthless, etc.), and overall living with her mother is having a negative effect on her wellness and is beginning to cause depression and anxiety.
Quote:
She needs to be emancipated as soon as possible, and we dont know what all we need to do. She has a guarenteed place to live already, she has a stable job, and she is mature. Thank you for your help, and i apologize for the really bad construction of this post. Thanks, remember, this is in Iowa
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10-22-2007, 01:00 PMmoburkesRe: 16 year old girlfriend needs emancipatedThen she should call that number.Quote:
Quoting Michael777
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10-22-2007, 01:13 PMMichael777Re: 16-Year-Old Girlfriend Needs to be Emancipated
The child support IS my business, since it is my girlfriends business as well. IT is her business because that money is being payed to her mom for the purpose of buying her clothes food and shelter, of which the child support pays non of. And since it is her business, and im doing all this reasearch for her, she has made it my business. And it is also my business since im doing this reaserch for her and it is very important to know what would come of the child support if she was emancipated. For example, if she recieved the child support directly until she was 18, then she would most definatly be able to afford everything she would need, however if she does not recieve the child support after the emancipation she may need to get a smaller apartment, see where im going? So please try and be more constructive rather than saying it is not my business or hers. OH, and the whole divorce thing, that speaks for character, which may be of issue in emancipation cases in Iowa, i dont know.
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10-22-2007, 01:30 PMmoburkesRe: 16-Year-Old Girlfriend Needs to be EmancipatedNo, its not. Child support information shouldn't have even been shared with your girlfriend. It was an order signed by a judge, for 2 adults. Many parents require that their teenage kids to buy their own clothing. Even if emancipation was an option, she wouldn't then get child support money. It would be stopped completely. That's what emancipation means - you are self supporting. And, that WAS constructive criticism.Quote:
Quoting Michael777
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10-22-2007, 01:40 PMMichael777Re: 16-Year-Old Girlfriend Needs to be Emancipated
OK, i just wanted to know if the money could come straight to her, since she is emancipating from her mother, not her biological father.
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10-22-2007, 01:45 PMaaronRe: 16-Year-Old Girlfriend Needs to be Emancipated
Emancipation is not selective. A minor who is in the custody of one parent, the other, or both is not emancipated.