leaving home at 16?.

[Sammi13]

My 16 year old daughter has decided that she isnt happy about sticking to houserules and helping around the home ie washing up her dishes after shes eaten and has packed her case and although she has not given me a forwarding address shes moved either into her boyfriends home or a friends home Can she legally do this?

[Pigletion]

While technically you could go to court etc. to get her to come home, most courts would not doing anything if person is 16 or over. Also she voluntarily left - they are more concerned with children who have had to leave due to a bad home situation.

See CAB link below..

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_par ent/housing/young_people_and_housing.htm#Leavi nghomevoluntarily

[B00]

Yes she can, however I think you'll find that she'll be begging to come back home within the month. Whether you'll let her by then is entirely up to you....lol

[tamborine]

Afraid so....unless she's in school/college. You are legally responsible for her attendance - better inform schools before they initiate prosecutions.

[caththecrazy]

Even if she is in school or college she can still legally ove out.

If she does't attend school or college that is a different matter but I doubt they'd do much given her age.Isn't it children must attend til the last Friday in June in the year they become 16? What are we now 21st June?

[Sammi13]

Thank you for your help!! She has left School and has finished completing her GSCEs But should be starting College in September Im hoping that she wil see sense and come home. Teenagers always think the grass is greener on the other side!

[Pigletion]

I'm guessing she's probably just being a teenager! Try and keep lines of communication open and she'll be back soon

[albaqwerty]

teenages KNOW the grass is greener. keep lines of communication open and dont bad mouth the boyfriend.
fingers crossed for you sammi

[Sammi13]

Thanks very much for your help and support and Yes your right about the boyfriend!! Unfortunately I think she will learn the hard way and I will be their to pick up the pieces. I guess as adults we try and prevent our children from making mistakes and want the best for them.

[Velvetee]

Best way I would say, let her learn the hard way. She probably thinks it will be a piece of cake and exciting doing her own thing. I expect she'll get a shock when she realises she can't afford to pay for food, bills, clothing etc.

[tillyh345]

Sammi, it is always difficult when the realization that your children are growing up and really difficult when they are making mistakes, but unfortunately we have to allow them to do whatever it is they do and then suffer the consquences of their actions....its all part of growing into adults...the best advise as previous message, make sure u keep the ocmmunication lines open and dont condemn. She will one day realise mum knows best, even if she doesnt say it to you.. lots of luck x

[gossipgirl]

looking back i myself was a bit like your daughter, at that age i thought i knew everything and wanted to move in with my boyfriend, nothing was going to stop me. Anyway i did, much to the dismay of my parents and i didnt contact, let them know where i was living or anything, it must of been awful for them! Well i found out the grass isint always greener on the other side and we struggled with rent, food and all other household costs, in the end we were evicted from our flat. The point im trying to get across is that your daughter will see this too a more than likely come crawling back with her tail between her legs, if shes staying with friends at the moment at some point they will get sick of her and ask her to leave. Does she have any money coming in?

[Sammi13]

No she has no finances! She is hoping to start college in September and she is loking for a a little part time job for now

[gossipgirl]

with no money she will definately have a good slap of reality in the face, when she realises that she wont be able to do what her friends are doing. She will come back! good luck xxx

[Whoever]

I should imagine that without any finances your daughter will very quickly come to her senses as nobody else is going to be prepared to keep funding her in these difficult financial times. If the boyfriend is funding her and also young, he'll probably soon discover that she's becoming a financial burden who is draining his beer and spending money. And once the reality of funding food shopping and doing washing and ironing catches up with her I suspect she'll quickly discover that the grass is not greener on the other side after all.. This is a hard lesson she needs to learn, and hopefully if she doesn't get herself pregant, it's better that she learns it for herself because personal experience, even if it's learnt the hard way, will always be a hundred times more meaningful than any lectures you can give her. Hard though it sounds, the reality of trying to manage on little or no money may be a hundred times more of an life-skills educational experience than any of her GCSEs could give her.