[Not A Snowbird]

My daughter is 14 and we can't wait until she's 18. At that point, if the cops knock on the front door, we can hand her over without being held responsible for whatever it is she did. Just the thought that she could do something like this kid did, in spite of our best efforts to parent her right, scares the hell out of me.

[ladylib]

Some states permit emancipated minor status for kids. The parents are no longer responsible. I believe the age is usually 16.

[b9]

My daughter is 14 and we can't wait until she's 18.

Hang in there, Sandy. I'm sure you're taking nothing for granted, and not caving to her claims of "You don't trust me!"

I like Dr. Laura's advice:
Let them know that nothing in your house belongs to them, including so-called "privacy," and that they are guests in your home until they are 18, at which time they are free to earn their own whatever.

[Mercat]

I totally know where you are. We raised a sociopath. I'm not ready to accept that it's our fault. Fortunately, she became an adult without burning down anything. She did commit felonies however which resulted in her being jailed for six months on a misdemeaner as an adult... we kept her 2 year old which was a joy but a hard row for two old folks like us. And now we rarely see her so I'm still dealing with depression from that. sigh. It's a rollercoaster for sure. I feel for those parents and I think that there should be a separate hearing to determine whether they failed as parents. I met a lot of parents in the juvie program who were good, decent folks. They had no idea how this had happened.

[Old Professer]

On Monday, my daughter will be 20; she still lives here with us and is still my baby-girl.

Every once in a while, I have to say that out loud just to convince myself that it is so.

It must be heart-breaking to have one's child cause terrible trouble for other people.