Family doesn't understand me.

[Unregistered]

Hi, im at 12 year old preteen female, and has thought about running away several times. My situation even confuses me. In our family, my parents usually break into fights about the simplest things, small fights, but they become 10 hour fights eventually. It's my dad that causes it all. The depression me and my mom go through lasts for weeks. I'm not close with my sister, but she gets depressed also. My dad holds grudges for years. BUT, i still love my family. They provide me with everything i need, and also provide me few things i want. These fights are only occasional, occurring maybe once or twice a month. This is not my big problem, though. My biggest problem is, that, my parents don't ever support my dream. I've told my mom about my dream, and how i'm signed up for a school in modeling and acting for the summer. I really want to do it in the school year too, but my mom doesn't want me too, since i go to one of the best public schools in the country. Modeling companies have accepted me into their business. My parents do want me to live a better adulthood life than them, but they only focus on academics, not talent. They just DON't get it! My dream is to become a part of hollywood young and impact the world, not being the next Einstein! I do have a friend who is willing to flee with me. I wan't to tell them that i'm leaving, and keep in touch with my loved family. But i can't assure my mom fleeing from home is safe. I also don't want to be abducted on the streets either. The distance i plan to travel to my specific destination, on ground, in over 2,000 miles. Same on the way back. I want to be sure i can travel this far safely and quickly with your service. I am also planning to add in another 2,000 miles if my plan fails. I really need to travel far very quickly and safely. I also need to reassure my mom that it's safe. My mom gets depressed and painful very easily and is thin skinned. She would still be hurt even if i say that i will stay in touch and come back home with a fufilled dream. I thank you so much for taking your time on reading this.

Thanks SO much!

[ccsmod8]

Re: Family doesn't understand me.

Hello,

Thank you for contacting National Runaway Switchboard. We appreciate your time and hope to continue to provide our service to you whenever you need us. This sounds like a tough time for you. We imagine it is not easy to deal with this sort of situation on your own. We are here to help. We are not in the position to tell you what to do but we want to provide emotional support and resources you see fit for you.

Have you considered counseling for you and your family to cope with this difficult time? If you are seeking someone who is objective to your situation, we do have a database with lots of resources for counselors local to you. Do see any alternatives to leaving at this point? We are non-directive in nature and we cannot talk you into or out of running away but we are concerned for your safety since that is our priority.

Have you considered staying at a relative or someone your parents understands to be safe? The service we provide for transportation is not design to get you away from home. We have a program called Home Free but it is simply to return you to a guardian. We conduct a process to call home after you call in for it and to get verification of story and documentation before we book a ticket. However, we have traveler's aid info we can offer our callers but we do not lean towards a specific direction with our callers but simply to provide the necessary options. If you are seeking a place to cool off we can provide local youth shelters to you if you can get consent from mom.

We imagine this is not an easy time and the thought of leaving home sounds scary. We hope that we can continue to be of support to you. We welcome a call from you if you wish to vent to someone over the phone directly or for us to find you resources in your city. We hope you stay strong. Good luck.

-NRS