ESCAPE IS NOT A SOLUTION
im turning 17 in april of this year.. a month and a half from now.. my mom and her boyfriend kicked me out of their house about two of three weeks ago.. then they moved me from their home in south carolina to north carolina to live with my aunt.. i am planning on leaving to live on my own when i turn 17.. i heard that in south carolina, you can leave and they cant do anything about it.. what about in north carolina?? can i leave when im 17?? legally?? what will happen??
[fedup]
Fedup,
Only a lawyer can give legal advice. Uncle Jimmy is not a lawyer.
My research indicates that the age of majority in both North and South Carolina is 18 not 17.
Parents have an obligation to support and house their children. If mom kicked you out on the street - that is one thing. If she agreed to allow you to live with your aunt - that is something else. My guess is that mom would still have authority over you if leave your aunt’s home and could demand that you return home.
However, as a practical matter, if you were “kicked out,” will anyone complain? Since mom has a live-in boyfriend, is she providing a suitable environment for you? Could you be sent into foster care? Just things to consider before you do anything.
Please read the columns below that ask about leaving at various ages. I ask the question over and over, “How will you support yourself?” I understand that teenage planning usually goes from weekend to weekend and hormone to hormone. In the bigger picture, you come from a home where mom has a live-in boyfriend and kicked her child out. This child has no education and no prospects or even concern for the future. You are looking at escape as an answer – it is not.
The best advice I can give you is to seek counseling and set about becoming your own person –totally self-sufficient. That’s not easy and you probably won’t give it a second thought. If you do not have the self-discipline to use spell check, how will you set up a household? You come from a dysfunctional household. Do you really want to set up another one?
Everybody’s Uncle
