I just turned 17 in March. My parents are divorced and my mother has primary custody. She is moving out of state and I want to stay here in Indiana and finish school where I am for the rest of this year and next year. I recently tried living with my father and it didn't work out. He and I do not get along. Indiana doesn't have a statute for omancipation. Does that mean it's still possible? My mother said she was OK with me staying here. Do I need to be emancipated if it's OK with her? Would my father be able to do anything about it if she moved and I didn't get emancipated? What is the emancipation process? Please help...

First and foremost, you have to be able to PROVE to the court that you are capable of taking care of yourself (having a job that pays enough to pay rent and other necessities), not relying on the kindness of others.

If your mother AND father are OK with it, you can do most anything you wish.

The process begins with going to court and requesting emancipation.

Is there no other relatives or friends you can bunk with to finish school? If you mother is OK with it, then it shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks. This does help. And my mother is OK with me staying here. She just doesn't want to get in legal trouble for it.

She shouldn't get into any legal trouble. If she is getting child support from your father, she should provide that to whoever you stay with avoid hassles from that end. She should also sign a paper granting temporary guardianship in case of emergencies to the people you will stay with.

Awesome. Thank you so much.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Please don't misunderstand what's being said here. Indiana has no emancipation laws. Another thing is that you must stay with responsible adults if your going to stay. Not a boyfriend or a friend or on your own. Your mom and dad would still be responsible for what you do.

There is a problem that I see, if "father" knows about it, and does not like it, he can file for custody in court, ( assuming mom has custody)

Also he can claim that mother deserted child. The child (17 year old) has to be in the care and custody of some adult or the parent could be liable for neglect.

So "father" could cause legal issues if it is not OK with him also

If 17 year old is living on her own, one call to children's services can ruin that

I'll be living with a responsible adult. I won't be living on my own. And I'm not real sure how my father would react but my sister lived with her grandparents for her whole life and he didn't do anything about that.