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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Posts
    6

    Default Can Your Parents Stop You From Moving Out When You Turn 18

    My question involves juvenile law in the State of: GA

    I turn 18 in half a year. I will be perfectly fine obeying my parents' final, sovereign words until then, so no issues right now.

    My concern is for when I turn 18. To be perfectly honest, I am sick of living with my parents. They're not bad people, and I know they're my parents and all, (insert sentimental clichés here) but I just can't live with them any longer than I have too. I am fully prepared to work to make it on my own, and I have been given responsibilities which should have given me enough experience and supplementary funds to have a rough idea of what it's like (training wheels, if you will). But here is the problem; my parents are very attached to me for some reason. They are unwilling to accept that I have grown up, and they have given me the impression that they are going to force me to stay with them after I turn 18.

    But there is more complication. After some poor communication, and a narrow turn of events, I "ran away" (legally speaking that's what you'd have called it). The police quickly got involved and I was returned home safely within 36 hours. And I have a history of expressing suicidal thoughts. But not suicidal actions. My parents played that card when I "ran away" to hasten the police's action's towards returning me home. And it is perfectly fair of them to do that because they are my parents and I am their responsibility, and it was at their discretion to wisely chose to do so.

    Now I need to touch on my experience with the police. When the officer arrived at the location I was staying, he was a nice guy who was extremely concerned for my safety. He checked me and my surroundings for weapons, and he basically said my parents were worried about me, there were several other officers looking for me, and that I needed to be escorted home. Everybody complied, I was escorted home in the back of the cop car and nobody got in trouble. It was actually pretty funny how worried they (the police) were for me. They were on the verge of taking me to a hospital, and the one cop kept going on and on about how suicide is stupid, and its a permanent fix to a temporary problem, and how I had a "room of my own", and "life's too good" and this that and the other. Behind my nodding, smiling, and moderate effort to show respect, I was laughing hard. I was thinking ... dudes, that was over a year ago, and I'm all good now, and this whole thing is due to poor communication, and I don't even believe half the crap you're telling me because it has no integrity in the real world ... It was funny, but it made me realize how seriously my safety (or apparent risk of being lost thereof) is taken by people. And if I can't make it up in over a year, I certainly can't make it up in less than a year.

    Which brings me to my legal questions.

    1. The Law (and what I see ya'll post on the forums) has me believe that when I turn 18 my parents are legally no longer responsible for me, and I can leave them with or without telling them. (probably should tell them so as not to scare them, but I know they will retaliate if they think they're baby is going bye-bye) Is this true??? What conceivable exceptions are there, if any???

    For the next few questions, let's pretend on my 18th birthday that my parents tell me to wash the dishes (for example). Before then, regardless of how I feel, I will wash the dishes because they said do it. But on my 18th birthday, I tell them: [ No; I'm not washing the dishes; I'm 18 now. ] (Note, I am totally 100% prepared for them to kick me out and make me give back my car keys, phone, money, and everything under the sun that you can name except the clothes on my back. If they kicked me out right now, I'd sing and dance. Only problem is, they are so attached to me, so I do not anticipate this happening)

    2. Are they legally able to forcibly prevent me from leaving?
    3. Can they call the police on me for runaway? (I'm almost certain this is a "No.")
    4. Can they legally pack me into a car against my will and take me to a behavioral correction facility (despite being 18 and legally no longer legally attached to them)?
    5. Can they legally pack me into a car against my will and take me to a hospital?
    6. Can they legally physically injure me?
    7. Am I screwed, plain and simple?

    I know turning 18 does NOT exempt one from rules, nor is it a license to do whatever one pleases. But I am anticipating some conflict between (my) rights, (my) past mistakes, (our) emotions, and (their) concerns.

    Thanks so much for reading. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

    -first477

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Somewhere near Canada
    Posts
    35,894

    Default Re: Complications when Turning 18

    1. Yep, that's true.
    2. Nope
    3. Nope
    4. Nope
    5. Nope *
    6. Nope
    7. Only if you screw yourself.

    Okay. The asterisk is placed there for a reason. While they cannot force you to do anything, they CAN call 911 and report that you're threatening to kill them and/or yourself and you might find yourself with a free ride to wherever it is the first responders take you.

    Other than that, at 12:01am on the morning of your 18th birthday you are free to leave and never return.

    (There is one other possibility - they rush to court to try and have you deemed incompetent and ask the court for help)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    38,867

    Default Re: Complications when Turning 18

    I suspect there is a lot more to the story than is being told here so I'll just this;

    if there is a possibility you can be declared mentally incompetent (or already have), all your nightmares can come true. It is likely your parents will be appointed guardians and as such, will have as much, if not more, control over you as they do now.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: Complications when Turning 18

    My questions are answered. Hopefully I'm just paranoid and things smooth out in the next 6 months.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Officially across the country from where I've been all my life
    Posts
    4,494

    Default Re: Complications when Turning 18

    I'd suggest you leave your phone, your car and everything else that belongs to them and leave when they are sleeping.

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