Expert: Phil Nemy - 8/30/2006

Question

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Followup To

Question -
hi phil my name is pal and i am a 12 yearl old wanna b actress. i just want to start acting young for som reasons but i cant manage to get it out to my parent and ask them to pay for this boarding school i just foud out about they olny take people up to 18 an they also teach you the other subjects like sciecne math english and others and they dont focus on drama singing and dancing. i think its a fab school but the money and how do i tell my parents bout it

Answer -
Pal,

Thanks for writing. I think if you really want to study acting, then you need to sit your parents down and explain to them that this is how you want to spend your life. Explain to them that you have found a good school where you can begin to develop your talent as an actor while continuing to study math, science, english and other standard subjects.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil

but what if they dont agree

Answer
Pal,

Unfortunately, if they don't agree, there isn't much that you can do about it. Assuming you live in the USA, the laws in the USA state that if you are under 18 years of age, you are considered a minor which means your parents are your legal guardians. By law, they can make decisions for you until you reach age 18.

The only way around this is to "emancipate" yourself.  Emancipation of minors is a process that occurs when a court (or another body given that authority) declares that someone who is still a minor is nevertheless to have the legal rights of an adult, and to be free of any authority from their parent or other legal guardian. In the United States, each state has its own laws regarding the emancipation of minors, and many states deem a minor to be automatically emancipated if they marry.

At 12 years of age, I don't recommend this route. I don't believe you have enough life experience yet at age 12 to know what is in your best interests.

Phil