Parents and My Boy*Girlfriend
Can my parents stop me from seeing my Boy*Girlfriend?
Yes, because generally your parents have the last word on many issues until you become an adult. Until your 18th birthday they not only have custody of you but also the duty and right to look after you (as a child or young person), to educate you, supervise you and determine your place of residence. At the same time, however, your parents must take into consideration your growing ability and growing need for independent action under § 1626 BGB (Paragraph 1626 of the German Civil Code or “Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch”).
Legally speaking, this means your parents are able to determine who you can see and who you can’t. If there is a valid reason why they should stop you from seeing your boy*girlfriend this rule applies. Reasons for this could, for instance, be that your boy*girlfriend is much older than you, that they are encouraging you to take drugs, they are exploiting you sexually or have a damaging influence on you. This is because parents have a duty to protect you from concrete dangers. The best thing is to talk it through with them and find a solution together. If this is not possible there are many counselling centres that can offer you help.