16, I need advice on running away

[Unregistered]

I feel terrible about this, to start off, but I feel like running away is the only way to make my life better right now. I don't want to run away forever, but I just need to escape my life for a while. I know running away is hard, and that my life won't get better if I do run away, but I need it.

I'm so stressed out. I constantly hurt other people because of all the stress I have. I take my anger out on my friends and my dad. I feel absolutely terrible about it. I love my dad and he loves me, but I make his life so hard because all I do is get frustrated and yell at him. I don't mean to, it just happens, and I feel like he doesn't care if I apologize anymore because I've hurt him so much. I rebel against him and don't do what he tells me to do because I just want to stop being stressed out and relax. It's selfish and stupid and I feel terrible but I can't stop and I don't want to hurt him any more. I just want to get out so I'm not hurting my dad. I have been to therapy a lot and I still haven't learned to cope with the stress and anger I feel, at this point I doubt there will be any stopping it. I'm not going to make my dad's life (edited) any more.

He goes out a lot now and I'm home alone for at least 2-3 hours every day. I know he needs to. I'm being a little (edited) and he just wants a break. I don't blame him. But my point is I have a huge window of time to disappear and get pretty far gone. I live near the city and could probably get there by walking overnight. It would only take 30 minutes to get there by car (lots of long roads and stuff would make it very hard to walk, that's why it would take so long), but I don't want to hitchhike. I could even leave right after I post this and get away, but I'm afraid and I need advice. I don't know where to go from the city, or what I would do once I got away. I'm afraid I'm just going to do something stupid and end up dead in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. I don't want that, I want to come back eventually, but I do need to be gone for a while to just escape my life.

Where should I go? I live in Virginia but I could probably catch buses to at least anywhere on the east coast. What do I do when I get to wherever I decide to go? Is it even possible for me to come back from running away if I go to somewhere like New York (I'd love to run away to there)? Will running away definitely ruin my potential at a good future?

I have a bag packed and I am just waiting for responses at this point. I'm ready to go, I just need the advice.

[ccsmod10]

re: 16, I need advice on running away

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your story with us at the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear about what you are going through. You seem to be dealing with a lot of stress and would just like to feel at peace. It sounds like you recognize that running away from home is not easy, and that things won’t necessarily be better for you if you leave, but it seems like you need time away from home.

It also sounds like you care about your dad, and he cares about you. How do you think he would react if you left home? The reason that we ask is that in general, if you are under 18, and leave home without the permission of your parents, your parents have the right to file a runaway report with the police. While we are not legal experts, we are able to talk about what generally happens in situations like this. Now, if you are not on probation or parole, it is not illegal to runaway and you would not be arrested. If your dad files a report and then the police find you, the worst that would happen is that they would force you to go back home. It seems like you are looking to get away both to give yourself some space, and to give your dad a break. Do you think that your dad would ever give you permission to leave and stay somewhere else for awhile (example: other family member, friend, youth shelter)? Some youth shelters are able to take in kids who need a cool down period from being at home.

You also mentioned that you live near a city, and have thought about walking there, but that it would be a very long, hard walk. If you do decide to leave, would there be any safer options? You mentioned concerns about what you would do after leaving home, and where you would go. Sometimes youth shelters are available for kids in your situation; however, some shelters do require parental consent.

We hope that this information helps. If you’d like to talk more about your situation, and get specific local resources you can call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are completely anonymous and confidential. If you can’t call in, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time.

We look forward to talking or chatting with you.

Best of luck,

NRS

[Unregistered]

15 and need help runing away

I am 15 and i am having problems at home and would like to get away .

[ccsmod7]

Re: 15 and need help running away

Thanks so much for reaching out and telling us a bit about your situation. It sounds like you are having a hard time at home and thinking about leaving. There is always someone here to listen if you need some support and need to discuss your situation more in depth. You can always reach us at our 24 hour hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) if you would like to talk with someone more about what is going on. We also have an online chat that is available from 4:30p to 11:30p CST if you feel more comfortable reaching out online. All of our services are completely confidential and anonymous. Thank you so much and we look forward to hearing from you. Take care and be safe.

[Unregistered]

Help!!

i want to run-away so badly. my mom and dad doesnt treat me like a 16 year old. its favoritism i the house my mom and dad can yell at me call me out my name and other things and my brother just gets away with anything. i feel that i dont want to be there anymore im 16 an ready to move out the house or go live with a friend until i can really sit down and talk to my mom and dad with out yelling and screaming. i have been through alot and dont nobody knows. im hiding alot of stuff inside and pretend nothing has never happend. but i think one day im going to have to just spit it out. can someone please help me im begging just pleasee help me!!!!!!

[ccsmod7]

Help!!

Thank you for reaching out and sharing a bit of your story. It sounds like you are going through a lot and we appreciate you having the courage to speak out. You mentioned that you are really stressed out at home and it seems like you and your parents yell a lot and it is really starting to take a toll. It's understandable that this is a stressful situation and you have thought of leaving because of it. It also sounds like you have gone through some hard times in the past but your family is not aware of this. It can be really hard to talk about situations that may bring up bad memories or past pain so it's understandable that may be hard to open up about. The tricky thing is, it can be hard for the people around you to support you if they don't know what's going on. Is there anyone that is helping or supporting you at this time?

We are sorry to hear you are going through all of this but we are here to help and support you in any way we can. While we can't tell you what to do in the end, we can be here to listen and talk through safe options and resources with you. We also have a service where we can help mediate a phone call between you and your parents. Sometimes it can help to have someone outside of the situation advocate for you so hopefully you could have a conversation without just yelling. If you would like to discuss your situation more in depth you can always call us at our 24 hour hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat service available through our website www.1800runaway.org from 4:30p to 11:30p CST. You do not have to go through this alone. There is always someone here to listen and here to help. Take care and be safe.