AboutDan Expertise I was once an expert on Askme.com, yet because askme is going out, I feel I can help people here. I am an expert in many areas of life, so why not try to be an expert here. State your ages with questions. I do not give medical advice online
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Question QUESTION: I am almost 17 years old and my parents were never married. They have not been together since i was born. My mom had custody of me until i was 3 years old but then gave my dad custody of me because she realized she was just too young to raise me. She was only 17 years old. Now i am still living with my dad. He has hit me before but we have never turned it into the cops. My dad has a very bad temper problem and i just feel like i need to get away. My mom only has visitation rights right now but she said she would be more than happy to take me back but the problem is that my dad does not like my mom. If i want to move in with my mom, does it have to be okayed by him?
ANSWER: Hi,
Include the question above and contact me on this email address:
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I need to ask for your state or country you are located in for the laws vary in different locations. I am not a lawyer so I cannot give you legal advice, however, I can try to check into those policies for you.
I recommend Paul in our Legal ethics area and also a lawyer in your location. He does not replace a lawyer in your state/country and cannot give legal advice per se online.
Please ask follow ups
P.S. How many times has he hit you and why? Does he do other things? How come you never reported this? When was the last time? Child abuse is a serious problem and I highly recommend contacting the law with this.
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QUESTION: Well...he has only hit me a couple of times. I am located in Cerro Gordo County in Iowa. The last time he hit me was about 4 months ago. I dont want to get a lawyer or anything i just want to know what you think could happen. If i just move in with my mom could i get in trouble for leaving? I dont really know what could happen. Everyone tells me that nothing could happen because i can choose where i want to live. Is that true?
Answer Hi,
I'm not a lawyer so I cannot really provide legal advice. I ran a fast search online and it turns out that if you move from your legal guardian in your state you need court approval before the age of 18. I can provide you a website if you want with this. The website however is old and it's always good to check with a lawyer in your state for the newest laws.
In simple I see you don't want a lawyer to be involved. Because he has hit you and is an abusive parent(bad temper and does hit), you should contact child services in Iowa. Here is one website:
They should be able to make your mother the legal guardian.
I am afraid if you move in with your mother without his approval(written approval) or court approval, he could maybe file kidnapping charges on your mother.
If you want I can maybe get the paperwork going with the child services so you can live with your mother.
Let me know if you want my help,
Dan
P.S. If you move out without his approval I would be careful because he may hit you or your mother if he sees you again.
