i am 14 and am thinking of running away for a couple of days

[Unregistered]

hi my name is ryan i am 14 years old i am wonderin if it is illegal to run away for a couple of days and then come home is this a good idea?

[ccsmod8]

RE: i am 14 and am thinking of running away for a couple of days

Hello,

Thank you for getting into contact with the National Runaway Safeline bulletin board. From what you have told us, it sound like you are currently going through a very hard time right now. Is there something going on at home that makes you feel like you want to run away for a few days?

What typically happens though; your parents are able to make a runaway report in the event that you do run away because you are under the age of 18 years old. Since it’s only considered a statues offense the only thing that would happen is that the police will pick you up and bring you back home. Again this does depend on your specific state laws and police policy. It sounds like you have given a lot of thought in to what you want to do in your situation though. If you were to leave, what kinds of things do you think that your parents would do? What is your overall plan (i.e. housing, transportation, financial stability, etc)?

Once again thank you for writing into the NRS, we are always here to listen and here to help you with everything we can. You can also call into our 24hour hotline (1.800.RUNAWAY) for a more immediate response, as well as connect you to some resources that we might have. If you wait a little longer you can have access to another service that we offer here at the NRS and that would be our online crisis chat room which is offered from 4:30pm to 11:30pm/CST (www.1800RUNAWAY.org). If you feel more comfortable with that opinion we are more than welcome to contact us through there.

Hope to hear from you soon and good luck,

[yournotalone_0001]

leaving but...

Ive been wanting to runaway. I love my family,friends, education, but I'm not satisfied with my life I don't feel accepted I'm only 15 and everyone is always putting so much responsibility on me. I'm not a real teenager I don't know how to be a teenager. My father told me I was nothing and I will never amount to anything. I wish I could just leave, but I stay because I need to. Like I said I don't act like a 15 year old people depend on me, but I break and they don't understand my feelings. But sometimes we feel like we don't belong where we are and we just want to leave. I always have a bag packed, but I don't want my dad to take my sister from my mom because of my decisions. I feel lost, stuck, unhappy, sad, and like I don't belong. Its so frustrating I want to leave so I can just take a break from everything because all of this is tearing me apart. I've tried cutting, and I've been throwing up on purpose I hate myself. I know I'm not I wont kill myself though because i can't imagine being that selfish.

[yournotalone_0001]

unanswered

Sorry I didn't really answer that. My point was that it depends on you situation. I can understand if your just tired of being there, or if your situation is bad. Although, if your just tired of being there and just want to leave try to think of what might happen if you do or how it will effect the people you care about. But I'm always going to be here if you want to talk. I'm hear to listen.

[ccsmod4]

Leaving But

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
It sounds like you have been going through a rough time emotionally.
We are so sorry that you have been feeling so frustrated. We do understand when you say that there is a lot of responsibility on you. It must feel like a lot of weight to carry sometimes but it is good that you reached out to NRS. The words your father used sound pretty harsh. You have feelings you don't deserve that. You don't sound selfish and we're glad you are not feeling suicidal. You are very courageous in facing what sounds like a difficult time for you. Good for you.

We hope venting has helped eased your mind somewhat, you deserve to have some peace of mind. sometimes doing something positive as a distraction might help to relax tensions for a bit. Instead of cutting or making yourself throw up how about trying something like exercising your body and mind by doing things like taking a walk, reading, journaling or listening to your favorite music? Sometimes being around friends having someone to talk with can also be helpful in clearing your mind for a while.
How does that sound?

You made a good decision by writing your post tonight. Good job indeed.
You are welcome to call 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) anytime you are feeling the need to express your feelings. NRS has live chat time via our website www.1800Runaway.org
4:30pm until 11:30pm (CST) 7 days a week.

Maybe by speaking with one of our crisis liners you might discover some other options that might help you to cope with your situation. Would you consider counseling as a way of coping with the issues you face?
NRS may be able to help find counseling support services in your area.
Counseling is a way to Be able to express yourself in a safe environment .
It's okay if you are not sure it's just something to consider.

We appreciate you reaching out to NRS we hope that things get better for you soon.
Take Care

[Guest]

I'm 14 and planing to run away I've been a runaway before and I enjoy it I hate my home life and have siblings who strongly dislike me because of my friends and the fact I'm a smoker I just want to know the real dangers of the world so I know how to prepare

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out to us today. We're so sorry that you don't like your life at home and have a difficult relationship with your siblings. We can understand how things at home must be hard for you because of all of those reasons.

It's great that you want to know about the dangers of things before you decide to leave home. Your safety is our main concern, too, and we want to make sure that you are fully aware of what can happen if you do leave home without parental permission at 14. It seems like you have run away before, but we can still give you some information on runaway laws just in case you do not know them.

So as far as we know in most states the age of majority is 18. In some states it is 19 or even 21. This means that if you leave home before your state's age of majority your parents can file a runaway report for you. We are not legal experts, but for the most part running away is not illegal. The police would be looking for you and would likely bring you back home to your parents if they found you.

If you still decide to leave home it is important to come up with a safety plan. Planning includes things like where you would live, how you would get money, how you would finish school, and what you may do if a stranger comes up to you or if something happens.

If you want to talk more about what you're going through please feel free to reach back out to us again! You can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY, we are 24/7 and someone will always be here to answer.