“I’m a sixteen year old from Oklahoma and I have a child. My boyfriend and I wish to get married, but only his parents agree to let us. We are capable of supporting ourselves and the baby. Is there any way we are able to get married without my parent’s consent?”

Check with a local court clerk or local legal aid clinic about getting emancipated, which is a legal action which gives you the same rights as an adult, in otherwords as if you had turned 18 already.

There is some information about the Oklahoma law allowing this here.

Alternatively, and if you don’t want to estrange yourself from your parents, try to work something out with them. You really need them to be supportive, and for your baby to be able to know their grandparents and to have a good relationship with them. Try explaining to them that you think that it’s better that you get married than that you leave home and live with your boyfriend without being married.

You are to be commended for doing the right and responsible thing and, at 16, for being able and prepared to support your child. You have a tough rode ahead of you, both because it’s tough generally to raise a child well, and because people will put up obstacles for you based on your youth. Hang in there.


Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. is a noted family law expert, Internet law expert, and Professor of Law at Lincoln Law School of San Jose. Contact This Author

State laws vary, and the above is intended as general advice, and not direct legal advice regarding any one particular situation in any one state. For direct personal legal advice related to your own situation you should consult an attorney familiar with the laws of your state and with your situation.