17 and kicked out...

[Guest]

im 17 years old and i have been kicked out of my house. my dad got mad at me and {threatened to hurt me} (edited) if i didnt leave... what do i do? could either of us go to jail? am i old enough to be on my own?

[ccsmod2]

Re: 17 and kicked out...

Thanks for contacting us here at NRS. We are very pleased that you are seeking help from us and are surprised by what you mentioned. We have edited your post for the benefit of other people who that information may have been too severe. Understand that we are always available 24 hours but that if you find yourself in immediate danger to be harm, please do contact the police at 911. We are sorry to hear of the problems you are having with your dad. You mentioned that he kicked you out. It is definitely illegal for any parent to kick their child out who is under the legal age of 18. You are considered a throwaway if your parent kicks you out and you have no place to go. This is something again since is illegal, can be reported to the authorities. The threat that you received from your dad is an extreme threat to get, let alone from him as parent. That was a very dangerous situation to be in and you did the right thing if you went ahead and immediately left. You wanted to know if you or your dad could go to jail and the only person in this situation who could go to jail would be your father for doing what he did and threatening to harm you in such a way. Are you safe now? Do you need a place to go? We have a database full or referrals that we would love to give you to help you out. You may give us a call or reply back to this post.

You had another concern as well. For the most part, a youth is consider legal and not a minor anymore at the age of 18. This means this is the age where you can be cut loose from the responsibily of your parents. By law they are not required to care for you or aything of that nature. We would need to know your location as far as city/state in order to tell you if you are old enough to be on your own. In some states, there is a such thing as emancipation that you may be able to look into as another way out. It is when the courts grant you to be able to live and care for yourself on your own without the help of your parent. Most times this is a very lengthy and seriouss process. You have to be able to prove to the courts that you are able to finish school, care for yourself and provide for yourself without the help of your parents.

Again, it was good for you to contact us with your questions. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. You can post another reply or again we are always here to talk whenever you are ready. We can be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY. Good luck with things until we hear from you again!