Teen parent

[rebekahnikole]

What is the name of your state? MO

I have a 16 year old friend - who has been living with her boyfriend for the past 6 months. They just had a baby about 2 months ago and my friend is being pushed and threatened by her mom about school, the messy house, her boyfriend, just about anything you can imagine.
I would like to know what my friend's right are as far as emancipation go. (Although Missouri does not have emancipation laws anymore, there must be something else that they call it)
She is not working. Her boyfriend provides all of her support, and the baby's. Her mom has threatened her saying she will call the police, take her baby away from her and boyfriend, make her move in with her mom. Just general stuff like that. I know my friend is freaked out...she doesn't want to move out of her house. But she won't ignore her mom either, because she is scared of being "taken away", so to speak. Is there anything I can tell her to comfort her...such as, she's considered an emancipated minor so she doesn't have to listen to her mom??

Her mom's background - Bi-polar, epileptic. Has 4 children, never raised one of them. Children bounced from foster home to foster home, put in group homes. My friend lived with her for the first time June 2001. Then her mom kicked her out, so she lived with her boyfriend starting May 2003. Mom was in and out of jail. So I know she has no case as far as custody of baby goes.

Sorry it's so long, just wanted to give you all the facts...
Thanks

 

[gphjr]

Since your friend knows all of this about mom. Tell her to grow some balls and tell mom to leave her alone. In the meantime clean the house, go to night school and get a HS diploma and make something of her life instead of attempting to play house. She is playing with someone elses life.

 

[HomeGuru]

I'll just sit back and watch this thread take on a life of it's own.

 

[dyinginside]

Souds like the mother is just trying to put more stress on this girl who Im sure has enough without her help. She needs to stay away from her mothers dysfunction and just try to do the best she can with her own life and tell mother to piss off.

 

[gobonas99]

How old is the boyfriend?

 

[rebekahnikole]

Boyfriend is 20 - good guy, works his ass off all day long to make a living for her and baby.

 

[gphjr]

more thoughts

He should be arrested for having sex with a child but that is a mood point at the moment. Your friend still needs to get her act together. Does she think that he is going to allow her to sit on her rear for the rest of her life and just make babies? If he is working his tail off out of the house she better start working her tail off to give him a warm home to come to or one day he won't come home. 16 with a child and no HS diploma, she is just itching to become a satistic on many fronts.

 

[rebekahnikole]

I agree with you about her being too young to be a mom, if it wasn't for the boyfriend, she would be totally lost as a parent. I have to admit, she is not a good parent - she had no parental love growing up, so how does she show that towards baby?? She has come a long way since he was first born though, she doesn't act like baby is such a troublesome task anymore.
I have also told her that she will NOT finish High School trying to rely on her mom and other people to care for baby while she goes to school.
I was also a 17 year old mom, I went to alternative school and got my diploma and now am in college earning my nursing degree. She just doesn't believe that an alternative school is as "good" as finishing through her regular HS.

So to who is custody of baby awarded to at this point? Mom or dad? Because if dad can get custody of baby, then courts are more likely to say it is in baby's best interest to stay with mom...right? Or no?

 

[dyinginside]

Well, I would think (and Im sure someone will correct me if Im wrong) that the father is the only source of income so, how would she care for the baby without him? I would say also that sometimes they think a child is best with mother but you say she probably doesnt show any paretal love because she never got it and that the baby was troublesome to her.So, thats not even a strong point. From info you have given Id have to say it would be in the childs best interest to be with the more stable father.

 

[stealth2]

As an FYI, this situation is not statutory rape in MO. An adult over 21 with a child under 17 would be. An adult over 18 with a child under 14 would be. But a 19/20 yo with a 15/16yo would not.

 

[dyinginside]

You are right.

 

[rebekahnikole]

Yeah, her mom tried to put that on the boyfriend - of course, nothing came of it.

 

[Ms Piggy]

Marriage & emancipation

I may be wrong but I believe that in Missouri the girl could be free of her mother if she got married. Of course, at her age, she would probably have to have a parent sign something saying it was ok for her to marry.

 

[LdiJ]

A factor that everyone is ignoring in this case is the fact that she is a minor and someone (possibly her mother) has legal custody of her.

If her mother has legal custody, then her mother certainly could make good on some of her threats.

 

[cyana24]

A factor that everyone is ignoring in this case is the fact that she is a minor and someone (possibly her mother) has legal custody of her.

A factor that has been overlooked is the last date of the post prior to Ms.Piggy: 12-06-2003. Ms. Piggy went "dumpster diving" to drag up a thread that's over a year old.