Can my 17 year old girlfriend come with me?

[stealth2]

That is of course assuming that the OP's parents already know that mom is saying no.

Boy's parents should say no until and unless they speak with Girl's parents. Both of them.

 

[davew128]

I bet they have wonderful family get-togethers.

Imagine one italian woman who is entirely level headed butting heads with another older off the boat italian woman who imagines her son does no wrong. Now imagine the back and forth between the two. Worse than Darren and Endora.

 

[not2cleverRed]

Besides in Texas at 17 your are considered an adult in many ways. And I have had an attorney inform me that since she went voluntarily, is a month away from her birthday and is not in "danger". Then they won't go looking, because they know she'll be back and shes too old to be looking. She's not a runaway she's coming home in 2days. If she was "moving out" then she would be considered a run away.

"In many ways" does not mean "generally" or "in all ways".

Legally, she is still a minor until she's 18.

Why would your parents want to undermine the parent of a minor child? Do your parents know your girlfriend's mother's opinion about this trip?!

 

[CdwJava]

I am sorry but the bolded is just gratuitous. Many, many parents invite boyfriends or girlfriends of their teenage children on vacations or weekend trips and supervise them quite well. Its not even a little bit unusual for such an invitation to happen, nor for the supervision to be competent. You may never have chosen to issue such an invitation but that does not mean that the parents who do are being lax in parenting.

Well, I have had to deal with this sort of thing, and as a parent of boys when a GF might want to come along if a parent objected, then there was no trip. Period. That's trouble no one needs.

Besides, in this instance we only know what the OP says about his relationship with the other family members. It could be that they shrug and say they're okay with him even if they're not. It may be that it's only mom that has the stones to stand up and say, "No."

Bottom line is that if junior and his parents take the girl and she is reported as a runaway, junior and parents can get into legal trouble even if in TX the police won't drag her butt back home.

 

[LdiJ]

Well, I have had to deal with this sort of thing, and as a parent of boys when a GF might want to come along if a parent objected, then there was no trip. Period. That's trouble no one needs.

Besides, in this instance we only know what the OP says about his relationship with the other family members. It could be that they shrug and say they're okay with him even if they're not. It may be that it's only mom that has the stones to stand up and say, "No."

Bottom line is that if junior and his parents take the girl and she is reported as a runaway, junior and parents can get into legal trouble even if in TX the police won't drag her butt back home.

I do not disagree with you for the most part. I disagree with the notion that parents who invite a boyfriend or girlfriend along on a trip are automatically bad parents, and I disagree with the notion that one parent automatically calls the shots.

 

[Just Blue]

I do not disagree with you for the most part. I disagree with the notion that parents who invite a boyfriend or girlfriend along on a trip are automatically bad parents, and I disagree with the notion that one parent automatically calls the shots.

As a responsible parent I would NEVER allow my son or daughter to have a boy/girlfriend on a trip if the child's parent disagreed. Even if it were just ONE parent!

 

[CdwJava]

I do not disagree with you for the most part. I disagree with the notion that parents who invite a boyfriend or girlfriend along on a trip are automatically bad parents, and I disagree with the notion that one parent automatically calls the shots.

I tend to agree that it doesn't make them bad parents, but, if these parents know that the girl's mother objects - and has legal standing to object - than they are making some very, very poor choices, perhaps even criminal ones.

 

[CavemanLawyer]

17 years old is still a minor for some criminal purposes in Texas, even if she is only a month or so from turning 18. Most of the applicable statutes here define a minor as anyone under 18 (harboring a runaway or enticing a child.) But honestly unless the girl's mother has some sort of superior custodial rights to the child through a court order, then her father is able to grant you consent to take her on a trip regardless of how the mother feels. You can't be charged for harboring a runaway, enticing a child, kidnapping... anything like that if either parent consents to letting her go with you even if the other objects. It would be like charging someone for stealing a lawnmower because the wife objected to her husband giving it to you. Ridiculous.

But that doesn't mean its necessarily a good decision. You already know the mother is against you. She could easily call the police on you and omit the part about her husband consenting. Even if he later clears you that doesn't mean you won't get hassled or even arrested first.

 

[stealth2]

Are her parents married? Divorced? If not married - is the proposed weekend Mom's or Dad's? That could add a whole other wrinkle to the situation.