I want to be free.

[Jordan (girl)]

I want to go to my mom's house she lives in Oklahoma, my parents have joint custody but I haven't seen my mom in over 3 years, my dad won't let me. If I run away to go stay with my mom for like a week or two and leave a note giving him a number he can reach me at and saying I'm going to her house, can he call the cops and report me as a run away? And if so can I go to jail. I'm 16 and my friend is buying me a plane ticket from GA to Oklahoma.

[ccsmod0]

re:I want to be free.

Hi Jordan,

Thanks for contacting us tonight. It sounds like you’re pretty excited to go and see your mom. It looks like you’ve already planned out your trip. When dealing with legal matters, it’s important to have a plan and be prepared for any outcome. It seems like you’ve done a good job at looking at this. So good job to you! And let’s see how we can help you out today.

So we aren’t legal experts here, but we can speak generally to what might happen in your situation. First of all, if your parents have joint custody, then you are able to go and stay with her. What we aren’t sure about is if your dad would be able to file a runaway report. If you contact your local police department (you can just search online for their “non-emergency number”), you can confidentially ask them that question.

Secondly, if your dad is able to file a runaway report and you were found, you would not be sent to jail. It is not illegal to runaway. It many states it is just considered a “status offense” (kinda similar to a parking ticket-without the fine).

It sounds like you care about seeing your mom and that you want to make sure that you don’t get into trouble. Those are great things! Sometimes, people in your situation try and get permission to go. You’ve probably already tried asking and compromise, but we just wanted to through that out there just in case.

If you’d like to talk through other options or have any questions about what we talked about, you can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are here 24/7 and completely confidential and anonymous. If you can’t call in, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm CST. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to be a support for you.

Best of luck to you,

NRS

[tristen\sanders3399]

i want to run away but i dont know what to do im 14

My dad is yelling at me because of thing i do and school grade's and he ground me from everything, i feel like a failure like school is the only place i enjoy. I never feel loved in my house i try and try to get my grades up but it keeps getting worse. Like everything i do is wrong, I am in so much stress. I need help , i was planning to run away but i dont know what to do.

[ccsmod10]

RE: I want to be free

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out tonight. It sounds like you are dealing with some hard issues…it seems that you are feeling down because of grades at school as well as feeling unloved. You are not alone. Have you been feeling like this for a while? It must be really hard because you love school – the only place you like – and you are not being supported at home…You also mentioned that you are thinking of running away…. have you thought about telling someone about how you feel – like a trusting adult – maybe a teacher at school – or a family friend – someone who is NOT at home – that can support you? Sometimes, sharing how you feel to someone else can really help. We are here to listen every hour of every day…24/7. Call us …1800RUNAWAY. It’s always confidential. We also offer live chat on line everyday from 4:30pm – 11:30pm Central Standard Time at www.1800runaway.org. We are about helping you explore what’s going on. Remember you are important. Keep safe!

- NRS