ABA Family Legal Guide

Family Law

Children

Rights and Responsibilities of Parents

How long do parents' legal obligations to their children continue?

Parents are legally responsible for their children until they reach the age of majority (usually eighteen), marry, or leave home to support themselves. In some states, divorced parents may be obliged to pay for a child's college or trade school education. In addition, a parent's duty to support a disabled child might continue for the child's entire life.