Q: Ohio. Can my 17 year old move out with my consent?
Hello. Ohio here. I'm the mother and legal guardian of a good kid, almost 17 years old. She's requesting to move out on her own at age 17 and possibly her 19 year old boyfriend will live with her. She'll continue to go to school and graduate in 2018 and I will help pay her bills and living expenses. I currently receive child support and SSDI for her. Basically nothing will change except she'll live at a different address but I'll support her until she's 18. Her father has nothing to do with her besides legal child support. Emancipation is not an option. I'll still remain her legal guardian. Is this all legally feasible?
A: Seriously? Of course she wants to move out and have you continue to support her. No rules! That is every teenager's dream come true! But moving in with a 19 year old boyfriend seems like an even bigger dream come true for him. He gets a live-in gf with all the benefits, and he doesn't have to pay anything! What boy wouldn't want that? Parents have a legal obligation of support until children reach 18, or until graduation from HS or age 19. What you propose is feasible, but is it in her best interest? Will she have health insurance? Does she have plans for education or a career beyond HS? If she and her bf break up, and he leaves her pregnant, which is very likely for kids at 17 and 19, then what? She will be unable to further her education, and her future life could be very difficult because of leaving home without a solid foundation. But when she reaches 18, she can do what she wants, and can make her own mistakes, and can live with those consequences.
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