Legal age in Missouri

My husbands 16 year old daughter (my stepdaughter) informed us the other day that she plans on moving out when she turns 17, which is in less than a month. We live in Missouri, and according to her she legally can. I really don't care if she moves out, but our concern is are we legally responsible for her even if she moves out until she turns 18, or is there a way to sever that legal responsiblity. And her dad would like to know if he can stop her.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally posted by libbers1
My husbands 16 year old daughter (my stepdaughter) informed us the other day that she plans on moving out when she turns 17, which is in less than a month. We live in Missouri, and according to her she legally can. I really don't care if she moves out, but our concern is are we legally responsible for her even if she moves out until she turns 18, or is there a way to sever that legal responsiblity. And her dad would like to know if he can stop her.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

My response:

. . . and, once again, my argument concerning stepparents is borne out. People are constantly saying to me, "Hey, IAAL, why won't you respond to steppers - - don't they have rights?" and "Steppers have feelings too, you know."

Well, it's posts like the above that make my argument stronger, and vivid . . . steppers are the worst people to deal with in any Family situation.

This Stepper said, "I really don't care if she moves out, but our concern is are we legally responsible for her . . . " No maternal instinct or feelings whatsoever. Only a parent, like this child's father, is the only one who cares; when our writer says, "And her dad would like to know if he can stop her." He wants to stop her because he cares, and has a strong paternal instinct. This Stepper / Writer couldn't care less, one way or the other. She has the typical "good riddance" attitude.

Steppers will continue to receive no assistance in legal matters from me.

IAAL

As I thought this was a legal forum and not a place that others take upon themselves to dish out their opinions of people they don't know, I innocently asked for some legal help with a problem. Let me give you some background about this situation as I see you only help people that care.

My step daughter and husband came to live with me 3 years ago, leaving an alcoholic wife/mother who to this date has yet to contact the young lady...at all. As her father had to sell his buisness at a loss and move to get away from the bad situation and it has taken him three years to get back on his feet, I have supported both he and the young lady finacially and emotionally with out anything expected in return. BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT BOTH of them. For the first couple of years we were not married because his divorce wasn't final, I still supported them and will continue to support them.

I do care about her, she is a beautiful young lady with a lot of potential, but as all teenagers make their own way in life, there is little parents can do when they want to move out. It saddens me to no end to know that she's going to throw it all away because she wants "to run her own" life. When what she doesn't see is that we let her run her own life now, she just has limits/rules and she doesn't want to live by them.

I've stood there when she said she hated her father, and she couldn't care less about me. She would be so much better off without us in her life. But yet, we still take care of her and give her the best that we can. And as for the "bond" between biological parents being stronger....that a bunch of hog wash. What about all those people that abondon their children....like her mother.

I'm sorry I ever bothered with this forum. You been most helpful in strengthing my perception of people and their basic tendencies to judge others before knowing the whole story.

[wtd]

I really don't care if she moves out, but our concern is are we legally responsible for her even if she moves out until she turns 18, or is there a way to sever that legal responsiblity. And her dad would like to know if he can stop her.

This is the only part of the story we got.