Love And Family Problems

[AaronS]

Hello,

My name is A*****(edited due to confidentiality) im 15, I fell in love with this girl named S*****(edited due to confidentiality) over a year ago we talk everyday and want to run away together, We cant wait until we are 18 to get married. The only problem is that she lives across the united states in Arizona and im in PA i have a freind that would drive me to get to her. But im worried about school if i would get their with her would i be able to go to the same school as she does i dont want to throw away my future. My parents fight almost everyday over me they always say if it wasnt for me they wouldnt be together, we never act like a family never eat together or anything all we do is yell a at eachother. I am very close to running away i even have my goodbye letter written up. Please tell me if i was to run away would i be able to move in with her parents?? And if i wasnt could i still live on the streets by her and go to the same school?
Please help is needed!!

A*****

[ccsmod0]

Re: Love and Family Problems

Hi,
Thank you for writing to us at The National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you are going through difficult times at home and you are really trying to figure out a way out. It's great that you are finding some great comfort in your girlfriend. We are here to help you and will do so in any way that we can.

Unfortunately because we are not legal experts we cannot say what will happen if you leave to go live with your girlfriends parents. We can tell you that your parents will have the option of filing a runaway report which means that your name will go in a database so the police will know you have left without permission if they happen to meet you. We can also say that if someone were to have you stay with them there is a possibility that they may get into trouble for harboring a runaway. Again, we can't say for sure what would happen, but if you were to call us we could help you look into legal resources in your area. You also have the option of calling the local police to ask them about the consequences if you ran.

Have you ever tried talking with your parents about how things are making you feel at home? Is it possible they are not completely aware of how bad things really are effecting you? It sounds like you are very frustrated. Here are some things you can think about before you make any final decisions to leave
•What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave?
•What would make me stay at home?
•How will I survive?
•Is running away safe?
•Who can I count on to help me?
•Am I being realistic?
•Have I given this enough thought?
•What are my other options?
•If I end up in trouble, who will I call?
•When I return home, what will happen?

It sounds like you have put quite a bit of thought into why you want to leave. Have you been able to talk with your girlfriends parents about staying with them? Do they know that you guys are talking about doing this? It could be possible to get into school with what is called the McKinney-Vento Act. Homeless youths always have the right to an education. There are no guarantees that no one will ever figure out that you have run away but you can look further into this at: http://center.serve.org/nche/m-v.php or give us a call to talk in more depth about it.

We are not here to convince you one way or the other, but we do want to help you make sure that you stay safe in whatever you choose. Being on the streets can be very difficult. You can read some more about this at: http://www.1800runaway.org/media/in_the_news/2010_news/.

Again, we are not going to tell you what to do. We would, however, really like to speak with you so that we can further help you. Please call us anytime at 1-800-RUNAWAY where we are toll-free, anonymous, and confidential. You can also reach us by chat by clicking on the red "Get Help Live Chat" button on our main page, www.1800runaway.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Good luck to both of you,
NRS

[AaronS]

Love and family problems

Hello,

Its me A***** again i told my parents already they dont seem to care at all they just keep fighting and honestly idc what they think anymore they force me to do stuff i dnt want to do and they make me feel like crap every day. My dad hits my mom in front of me and i cant do anything. It just sucks u didnt answer my question if i would be able to get into the same school as my girlfreind

heres ur questions ill answer
•What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave? Nothing i tried it all
•What would make me stay at home? A Family
•How will I survive? I have a ride their and i can get food from my girlfreind
•Is running away safe? Yes i have a ride from my freind
•Who can I count on to help me? My freind and my girlfreind
•Am I being realistic? H*** yes
•Have I given this enough thought? Everyday
•What are my other options? Run away run away run away
•If I end up in trouble, who will I call? No-one idc if i die
•When I return home, what will happen? I wont come home

Theirs ur questions now plz answer mine if i was to run away would i be able to get into school down their the same as my girlfreind and will my parents find out?

[ccsmod3]

Re: Love and Family Problems

Hello again,

It sounds like you’re continuing to think a lot about your plan to run away. As we stated earlier, we are not legal experts. However, we can try and answer your question in as general a sense as possible. You ask, “If you were to run away, would you be able to get into the same school as your girlfriend?” and “Would your parents find out?”

In response to the first part of your question, you may be able to initially enroll at the same school as your girlfriend (under the McKinney Vento Act) without a lot of questions if you are considered homeless. To do so, you would probably have to first contact the Arizona state coordinator and then be directed to the coordinator for your girlfriend’s school district.

In response to the second part of your question, it is quite possible your parents would find out when the school begins asking about your guardianship situation. However, this may also depend on how that particular school district handles those situations.

Another resource you may find helpful is the Juvenile Law Center which is based out of PA. www.jlc.org. They offer a wide range of information regarding rights of minors which might help point you in your desired direction.

In one of your responses, you stated you don’t care if you die. Although we don’t know exactly how serious you are, if you are thinking of harming yourself in any way, you can contact us for support with that as well. You are also welcome to contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.

If there is anything else we can do, we encourage you to contact us either by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY or visiting our website to Live Chat.

Best of luck!
-NRS