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View Full Version : Can I choose to live with my older sister if I'm 16 years of age?


Kelawings
Jul 5, 2012, 11:26 PM
I'm 16 years old living in Hawaii and I am not happy living with my hanai father (uncle) and my step-mom. My older sister who is by blood related to me and 42 years old is willing to take me in as her own. Is there a law in the state of Hawaii that allows me to choose who I want to live with as in my sister? Please help me!

GV70
Jul 6, 2012, 10:00 PM
I'm 16 years old living in Hawaii and I am not happy living with my hanai father (uncle) and my step-mom. My older sister who is by blood related to me and 42 years old is willing to take me in as her own. Is there a law in the state of Hawaii that allows me to choose who I want to live with as in my sister? Please help me!!

You cannot chose where to live.
Your sister may file in Court for custody and then the judge will listen to you.

Fr_Chuck
Jul 6, 2012, 10:11 PM
No you can not just choose, if the other people want you to live with them, they can get the other party to sign over guardianship.

Or they can file in court and attempt to prove it is in your best interest.

AK lawyer
Jul 7, 2012, 06:06 AM
I'm ... living with my hanai father (uncle) and my step-mom. ...

What is a hanai father, by-the-way?

I found this reference, but there is no explanation: "hānai is also a form of adoption practiced by the Native Hawaiians." Hanai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanai)

Hence I would ask, is your current living situation court-ordered, or is simply an informal arrangement? Does your uncle have any legal right to your custody?