How do you "disown" a child?

Question

No one is thinking about it over here, lol, but I was just curious. Is there legal documents or whatever that you have to file?

Also, is it possible to divorce you parents? My mom said that a child could divorce their parents, and I thought divorce was just for married people, lol. She said that Angelina Jolie divorced her dad, or something like that. I imagine you have to file paperwork for that though, if there is such a thing.

Answer 1

dis·own (dĭs-ōn')
tr.v., -owned, -own·ing, -owns.
To refuse to acknowledge or accept as one's own; repudiate.


disown

verb

To refuse to recognize or acknowledge: deny, disacknowledge, disavow, disclaim, reject, renounce, repudiate. Idioms: turn one's back on. See accept/reject.

The verb disown has one meaning:

Meaning #1: prevent deliberately (as by making a will) from inheriting
Synonym: disinherit

emancipation

noun
freeing someone from the control of another; especially a parent's relinquishing authority and control over a minor child

Answer 2

No, Mostly, it's wiping the kids out as beneficiaries. It's also accompanied by a near or total refusal to be responsible for them or acknowledge them. Most parents who disown their children, do so after become adults. Usually, those kids are fine on their own anyway. My father disowned us before we were adults. He just wanted to pretend he had no kids. We suffered bad for a long time. It's okay, though. We are adults now and we have our own lives. We don't need him anymore, just like he decided that he didn't need us anymore many years ago. He should just hope that his wife doesn't pass on before him.

What you mentioned about Angelina is called "emancipation". It's a legal process a child under 18 must go through to become independant of their parents. I looked into it when I was young. Would have probably been better off if I went through with it.

Answer 3

You can disown your child without paperwork by just throwing them out on the street and telling them they're not your child anymore because they've done something you didn't like (I don't condone that, it's terrible that people do it). You could give them up for adoption which would be a kinder thing to do.

Yes, you can divorce your parents. It's called emancipation. You have to go through a court procedure with a judge and prove you can support yourself. One of the first I've heard of was Gregory Kingsley.

Answer 4

Disowning parents is called emancipation and a child has to have financial means to do so--he also has to prove to the court that he does not need to have a guardian and that he will not be a ward of the state. That means that he needs to be of considerable age.

You can't disown a child, but you can relinqish your parental rights, and that can only be done if the court finds that you are an unfit parent. I guess you can walk in there and say "I don't want this kid anymore," but if you have means to pay child support, and the court finds that you must, then you are still a parent to that child.

Answer 5

I need some help disowning a "child of mine." That ***** cut me out of her Facebook profile picture...

Answer 6

Well, it's not called divorce, but California has emancipation laws that allow a teenager 16 or older to be emancipated from their parent's control. This was initially enacted to assist child actors whose parents were mismanaging their money.

Answer 7

I think normally "disowning a child" is just leaving them nothing in a will.

In some jurisdictions you can "divorce" your parents and get taken into care. There is a complicated legal procedure for that

Answer 8

To disown, give your child to the state.

To divorce your parents, prove you can make it on your own when you file for emancipation.

Both happen, both are possible.

Answer 9

wow! didn't know that.You can divorce your parents, they would have to do something really horrible for me to want to do some paperwork on them!
I know that you can disown a child-wouldn't know how to go about doing it.

Answer 10

yes you can disown your children, my father disowned all of us kids when him and mom got divorced!!!! it was like he divorced all of us, not just my mother!!!! children divorcing their parents is called emancipation (i think i spelled it right) and yes paper work has to be filled with the courts!!!