I have a son that is 17 & has gone to see a lawyer to help get emancipated. He cannot wait four months until he turns 18. It is obvious he is doing this to spite me for taking his cell phone away from him. I did this because he has been running the streets at night, sometimes not coming home at all. This has led to his dropping two letter grades in almost every subject at school. He has never been punished other than a weeks grounding before, when he was caught with alcohol for the third time. He has refused to ever help do anything to help around the house, but claims he can't stand to live in such a messy environment. He also claims in his letter to the judge that he doesn't approve of the way I raise him (as my nerve to dare punish him). I let him have a job, but he spends over 1/4 of his income on his cell phone & blows the rest. I am at my wit's end as what to do about this.

Well the process will most likely take LONGER then the 4 months till his 18th, so he'd be better off not wasting his time and money..

Laugh at him and know that you failed to punish him enough when he was doing wrong,

When he was first drinking, that is two or three weeks grounding, Second time would be a month or more and losing any computer, radio and more.

If he was running the streets, he would not have a cell phone and be sent to perhaps a boot camp for a few weeks.

At this point, make him wash his own clothes, and clean up after his self, don't do it for him

My 12 year old does his own laundry, helps cook and even cooks a meal for the family from time to time.

But first does he have 4000 or more for the attorney ? Most likely not,

Does he have a reason for emancipation, nope,

And it will take at least 6 months to even get to court.

He has somehow got the court date set for the week after next. The summons I got shows that he didn't even petition until two weeks ago, right after I took his phone away. His allegations are laughable. One of his reasons is that I do make him do his own laundry, but he really takes it either his grandmother's & she does it, or a friend's house & has someone else do it for him. The whole situation is just a slap in the face to me. I have read the messages on his phone & it looks like he has multiple people telling him that he doesn't have to do anything I tell him to. There is even one from a woman who told him if he ran away she would hide him at her house. I plan to show these messages in court as well as bring up everything else he's pulled in the four years I've had custody of him. I thought of taking his job away from him, or keeping him from attending his school prom, but that would only make me feel like the monster he paints me to be.

Sorry your fear of being a monster has stopped you from doing proper punishment for years,

Honestly it is far too late now to really punish him and do anything.

I am not to sure, if letting him have it, let him go and find out life it tough

I find it hard to believe that he has gotten an emancipation hearing so quickly. Must be a small area where there isn't a lot of court activity. ANY question on law needs to include your general locale as laws vary by area.

To be emancipated a minor has to prove they can live entirely on their own. If part of his complaint is that you make him do his own laundry, what does he think he will do if he's emancipated?