14 To 18 Research Paper

In Joseph Carroll’s article about parent/teen relations he states that “About 65% of teens at the ages of 14-17 don’t “like or get along”, with their parents.” Teenagers this age are going through life changes, and feel as though they know what’s best for them which causes problems in the household. Some teens leave to live on their own before they reach the age of eighteen, to get away from their parents. To leave a household before reaching the age of eighteen you must become emancipated .When it comes to emancipation I believe minors between the ages of 14-17 should be able to emancipate themselves, in doing so because of certain situations that can cause harm to the child physically, mentally, and emotionally.
All minors aren’t always lucky enough to be provided with fit or stable parents. Unstable parents could be

categorized as alcoholics, sexually or domestically abusive, failure to provide, or by abandoning the child. In my personal opinion, there’s a lot of stressful and overall traumatic experiences that happen to most young teens. Many are being raped every night in the own comfort of their home, or beaten down until they’re broken down completely and praying for a way out. Screams and fights every night, verbal abuse will push a child to the limit as well. Some teens are forced to play the responsible role and provide for the household as early as 14, playing mother and father to themselves and siblings, due to parents who just simply don’t care about the beautiful creations they’ve bared. All of these things would cause the child to feel as though they are unsafe, unwanted or being harmed in a way, which gives them the right to emancipation. Emancipation basically separates the parent and child. “A minor who is “emancipated” assumes adult responsibilities before reaching the age of majority (usually 18).Emancipated minors are no longer considered to be under the care and control of parents- instead they take responsibility for themselves.” (Dixon 2) An emancipated minor must have a reliable source of income, a stable living situation, and continue to attend school (if still in grade school) to graduate. The Minor will be granted all parental duties for themselves and act as adults.
Emancipation isn’t all that easy to be granted by a judge. It has many requirements and procedures in which you must abide by to get permission. “To get declaration of emancipation from a judge you have to prove all of these things: You are at least 14 years old, you don’t want to live with your parents due to them being unfit, your parents are notified and confirmation, and show you can earn and handle your own money to show emancipation will be good for you.”(Reuters 1). These requirements should be met before you bring the case to a judge with all proof and fees. At the ages of 14-17 the process of emancipation will be very expensive to try and pay for with no income. “The filing fee for a petition of emancipation is $166.00, and you must also pay to have the petition “served”. This cost will change depending on who provides the services. There are also other fees for forms needed during the process of objections or requests.” (Judicial council of California 3) After all fees and paperwork are collected the time to complete the court process for a minor to get emancipated takes between four to six months.
There are two types of emancipation that the minor can choose to go about.

The first option is Automatic emancipation. “You may receive automatic emancipation by Getting married, joining the armed forces (in which you must be 17) or if you if you reach age of majority.” (Reuters 4) With the automatic emancipation process there is no need for a court appearance or judge’s permission; you just must fill out all paperwork needed and have proof of marriage or enlistment in an armed force. The other route of getting emancipated is Express emancipation. “An express emancipation takes place when a parent agrees with its child, and that the child may leave home and collect its wages and control their assets. If legal courts become under the case it means the legal agreements were broadly interrupted over the parental agreement.” (Stanley 5) This is the most common route that minors 14-17 have to go through, a court process with parents and permission from a judge is required. A child also has a right to go the express emancipation route if they are put out due to unexpected pregnancy, or if the parents or guardian

dies.
As an emancipated minor you can hold contracts for important necessities in life such as leasing and renting houses, and loans .You may sue anyone you please if you have the funds. You may enroll yourself in school; apply for public benefits and health care benefits as well as an emancipated minor. Anything dealing with financial duties that you’d usually need a guardian for, you may do it without them after emancipation.
As an emancipated minor you also have limitations as well. You may not take part in adult activities. The activities include drinking alcohol, voting, or entering places for adults 18 or older. This will keep the emancipated minor from overexposure of alcohol and adult environments before the age of eighteen. The restriction on voting before eighteen is in place to make sure the child is mature enough politically to vote. Another limitation is mentally challenged or an ill child are not allowed to be emancipated and even at 18 depending on their dependency on parents, decides if they can be considered an adult.
Overall, emancipation is the process in which a minor in their teen years separates themselves from their parents to gain adult rights. I feel emancipation is in the better good for minors ages 14-17, who are mature, in unstable environments, or just a bad situation such as a death of a guardian or unexpected, unwanted pregnancy. For some teens this decision could be the difference between life and death depending on the situation they are fighting to get away from. To become emancipated they must prove it is needed and explain their situation in depth. They have many steps to get the judges grant and fees to get their rights as adults, as well as age restrictions on their adult privileges. The benefit is the end result of being in a safe, more reliable, stable environment and being able to make their own decisions in life with their rights as an emancipated adult.