Child Support/Custody (Legal Professionals and Those With Experience Only)?
I’m a 17 year old high school senior. I live with my father. My mother owed back child support, but she is paying it back now at a rate of $500 per month. Although my father looks better on paper, he lives well beyond his means and is often unable to pay his bills on time. I want to live with my mother. She would not be asking for child support and would continue to pay back what she owes at the same rate. Also, I am extremely unhappy living with my father and would completely back up my mother’s case. What are the chances that she could be awarded custody of me?
If your mom is mentally and financially stable there really is no reason a judge won’t award her custody of you. You are 17 so you will be able to have a say in where you want to live. Your chances are very high!
Also if she takes your dad back to court they may even change the child support issue since your dad will have to pay it to your mom when you move in w/ her.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
They are pretty good, since you want to go live with her. at 17, the judge will take into consideration what you actually want, and if your mom does want to take care of you, she would be very likely to get custody of you.
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November 26th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
good luck and take courage
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i’m looking for a site or an organization that could help me find someone to adopt me.i want to have a better future,i am 15 years old and i’m a boy.i’m very smart,cool and great respect for others.but i also have a great problem,i need the affection of a loving parent and i want to learn to become someone better tomorrow.so if there is any way you can help me,please do it for the name of the lord.i need the affection of a mother.i did not had the chance to see and know my mother and i have no imformation on my father,that is if he is alive or have died,i have no idea.i’m a liberian but i now live in ivory coast because of the war in my country.i know it would be difficult to believe,but that is the truth.help me please
thanks in advance
from simeon
November 26th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
In almost all states in the US a 17 y/o can choose where she lives without any court clearance or blessing from the other parent.
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November 26th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Chances are good she could be awarded the custody but you’d be close to age 18 by the time courts made that decision.
Your mother would still have to pay the childsupport owed while you lived with your father.
Simply changing custody status wouldn’t wipe out the child support she owed during the time spent with your father.
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November 26th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
The biggest factor here is your age. By the time this case would hit the courts, you could be 18 and you can do what you want. By choosing now, your Mom would have to take your Dad back to court for a custody remodification hearing at which she would petition the courts t allow you to choose which parent you want to live with. But again this could take some time getting into family court depending on how back logged the courts are, and you could become an adult waiting for this to happen. Chances are she will still have to pay the support arrearages as Dad could sue her in small claims court for money owed but thats something else. So this comes down to how soon youll be 18 and go from there. Also ifI can be of any more help, please feel free to email me at thunder_wright@yahoo.com Good luck and Happy Holidays
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Florida Paralegal with a BS degree in Social-Pyschology
November 26th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
If your mom is mentally and financially stable there really is no reason a judge won’t award her custody of you. You are 17 so you will be able to have a say in where you want to live. Your chances are very high!
Also if she takes your dad back to court they may even change the child support issue since your dad will have to pay it to your mom when you move in w/ her.
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November 26th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
It depends on where you live actually. In some states all you have to do at 17 is express the wish to your mother, move and have her file the paperwork. In most states 17 is old enough to choose.
If you want to know for sure the only way you can find that out is to ask a lawyer in your state. Check at school – in some areas a school counselor will be able to put you in contact with someone who might be able to help you or give you advice on what is the procedure in your state.
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November 26th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
At 17 years of age the choice is yours anyway. To stop child support she’d have to go through the courts. She could also reverse the support which would help her pay off what she owes.
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November 26th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Your chances are pretty good since you are 17 years old. The judge will take your testimony into the case since you are of age. All you have to do is tell the judge what you want and most likely it will be granted to you and your mother.
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November 27th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Only Texas give you the right to choose. You can express you opinion, but the judge is under no legal obligation to honor it.
That said, with the back log of family law cases, you will be 18 by the time you can give a judge your opinion, so you may just have to wait. Sorry to be a barer of bad news. At 18 you can live where ever you want.
As for being very unhappy, from my experience with teenagers, happiness if interpretive based on you point of view as a child. Are you unhappy because he doesn’t recognize that in your opinion you are mature enough to make your own decisions because you are ALMOST AN ADULT? If you think that soon turning 18 means you are mature, consider that Christ was not mature enough to leave home until he was 30. Are you more mature in making your own decisions than he was?
As for you, I would like to suggest a book to help you make the right choices about your future.
Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess up Their Lives
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ten-Stupid-Things-Women-Do-to-Mess-up-Their-Lives/Dr-Laura-Schlessinger/e/9780060976491/?itm=3
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