I Don't Feel Safe or Loved at Home Anymore

[ccsmod15]

Thanks for reaching out to NRS,
It sounds like you’re going through a lot at home, you never deserve to be called derogatory names by anyone; especially not a parent. It seems like your stepdad is the main aggressor and your mom may not know or want to intervene and help protect you. It is understandable you would want changes to this situation and not feel comfortable in a home like that.
You deserve to feel safe at home, it seems like your mom is the person with the most power to make an immediate change since she is the one with a relationship to your stepdad to be able to talk to him about this. One option would be to share with her how you are being made to feel as she may not understand the pain it causes. Another would be to find ways to be out of the house more to avoid being around your stepdad as much. The last tangible step might be making an abuse report with child protective services if it continues or escalates. Often emotional abuse like what you are describing is hard to prove to CPS, but they can take steps like family counseling that might help make a change. If things escalate to physical violence from your stepdad they are usually more willing to step in directly.
If you wanted to explore specifics around talking with your mom, or ways to cope with your stepdad’s harsh words you can always reach out to us directly. We can even conference call with your mom to mediate a conversation, or find safe ways to cope/stay out of the house. We can also always just listen and provide support as well, if any of that feels like it might help please call us or chat with us online at 1-800-786-2929 or www.1800runaway.org
Stay safe,
NRS.

I am a 12 year old girl and don't feel safe in my own home anymore. My stepdad calls me retarded and gets mad at the smallest things. My mom just goes along with it and doesn't say anything. Please help me!

[ccsmod16]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out to NRS. We’re so sorry to hear that you’re having such a tough time at home. Nobody deserves to be yelled at, made to feel scared, or be unable to sleep/eat. We do want to say that you’re very brave for reaching out to us and sharing your situation. It’s completely understandable that you’re feeling this way and unsure of what to do. It may be helpful for you to reach out to us via chat (www.1800runaway.org) or phone 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), so we can learn a bit more about your situation and discuss some potential options. We are available 24/7 to discuss any of this with you. In the meantime, I do want to share a few resources. You mentioned feeling depressed. Sometimes it’s helpful to talk with someone about these feelings, so it may be an option to consider speaking with a therapist or counselor. Additionally, at school, you could consider speaking with a counselor, social worker, or a teacher that you trust. If you prefer online services, a few options you could try are crisistextline.org or www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. Both have great 24/7 hotlines like our own, and they are used to chatting/speaking with people going through very similar situations to your own. We want you to know that we are here for you, and we hope that everything works out. Best of luck!

[ccsmod16]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out to NRS. We’re so sorry to hear that you’re having such a tough time at home. Nobody deserves to be yelled at, made to feel scared, or be unable to sleep/eat. We do want to say that you’re very brave for reaching out to us and sharing your situation. It’s completely understandable that you’re feeling this way and unsure of what to do. It may be helpful for you to reach out to us via chat (www.1800runaway.org) or phone 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), so we can learn a bit more about your situation and discuss some potential options. We are available 24/7 to discuss any of this with you. In the meantime, I do want to share a few resources. You mentioned feeling depressed. Sometimes it’s helpful to talk with someone about these feelings, so it may be an option to consider speaking with a therapist or counselor. Additionally, at school, you could consider speaking with a counselor, social worker, or a teacher that you trust. If you prefer online services, a few options you could try are crisistextline.org or www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. Both have great 24/7 hotlines like our own, and they are used to chatting/speaking with people going through very similar situations to your own. We want you to know that we are here for you, and we hope that everything works out. Best of luck!

My parents yell at me a lot. I can rarely sleep anymore, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression, I'm only 13, and I want to go to my friend but i cant because if i run too her she gets in trouble, my anxiety wont let me call for help, Only once has my home gotten physical, i was 8 i believe when my dad grabbed my arm and yanked me out of bed, it hurt, alot. I hate yelling but i get yelled at a lot, there isn't alot of trust or freedom. and i dont know what to do. this home makes me want to die. but im 13, and im scared to die.

I was adopted when i was 3 and up until I was 9 things were awesome, but I got ADHD, then anxiety depression when covid hit. and then a sensory processing disorder. but that's not the issue, the issue is that my mom KNOWS i hate yelling and still yells, my dad has anger issues, and I get yelled at a lot, because of this I'm scared to get off the bus to go home, I don't feel comfortable eating with them anymore, i want to leave to my friend but i cant, because they'll also get in trouble. what do i do? I'm 13 now, I talked to my parents about emancipation but they said no, i know im too young to be emancipated i meant when i was 16. But again. what do i do?

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.
You mentioned experiencing emotional abuse which may be reportable against your brother. Please keep in mind you by no means deserve any type of abuse, emotional or otherwise. Unfortunately, emotional abuse is often harder to provide evidence for compared to physical abuse which is often what CPS relies on when conducting an abuse investigation. That said, we can’t be 100% sure what the outcome will be if your local CPS decides to open a case based on what you share. Sometimes CPS decides to remove minors from the home and other times they offer services such as family counseling or mediation instead. The only way to know the outcome might be to reach out to them directly and if you’re ready to do that we are here to help you through that process. Reaching out to Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453 or www.childhelp.org may help to get a better understanding of what may happen before and after a report is made.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe, NRS

My dad hates me- he points things always to me and treats my little brother like he is a god- my mom doesn’t realize that this is an issue and each time I try to seek help from her she thinks I’m lying too- all my other family members will probably tell my parents that I’m insane and mg friends can’t help me because their own problems. I just wanna be happy again...

[ccsmod16]

Hi, thanks for reaching out; we are glad that you did. it sounds like things are really hard at home with your mom taking out her anger on you. That is not fair and you don't deserve for this to happen to you. It sounds like you tried to run away before and it's understandable that your friend couldn't help, since they are probably around your age.
We hope that you can tell a teacher about what you are going through. It is adults and your state's child abuse agency that would investigate what is happening there. They probably wouldn't find a new place to live, but they might be able to get help for your mom to deal with her anger better.
You are welcome to chat us at through this website and we can see if there are any shelters or local resources that can be of assistance. You can also go to www.nationalsafeplace.org and click on Find a Safe Place and put in your location to see if there is someplace close to you.
We truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

[ccsmod16]

Hi, thanks for reaching out; we are glad that you did. Because you posted on our public forum, we don't have a way of knowing your location to look up shelter resources for you. We hope that you will either chat us through this website or call our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY so we can search for shelter and discuss the shelter intake process with you.
We truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

Hello I am an 11-year-old kid and I feel like everyone has had a better life my mom has gone through a break-up and this man hurt her a lot emotionally and physically and now she is taking out her anger on me. Yet my little sister is fine she had recently gotten mad at me taken away contact from me but she forgot to take away my school computer. I never want to see her again she has placed me through so much trauma I can even fake smile. I'm am turning 12 next week and I am so scared of my mom the last time I tried to stand up to her I got slapped in the face. She has been with so many men and every time they have broken up I am her stress ball but she never knows how I feel I tried to run away once but my friend couldn't help me and my mom got so mad at me. I wasn't even supposed to be born I was in an accident they weren't planning on having a kid and here I am. I am the oldest child my little sis is 7 now but she is fine. I have 2 little brothers one 5 and the other 2 or 3 but they live in Mexico with their mother so I have never have seen them. I want to leave my house so can you please find a place for me to live far away from my mom I live in CA.

where is the nearest youth sheleter to me and how is it like in there

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for reaching out to NRS. It is never okay for a parent to hit their child or hurt them on purpose with their words. The way your mom is treating you is called abuse and it's against the law.

You have the right to report this abuse so you can get help and stay safe. You can do this by calling 911, telling a teacher or nurse at school, or calling a hotline called Child Help at 1-800-422-4453. If you ever feel really scared that your mom is about to hurt you, definitely call 911 right away.

If you want to give NRS a call, we can also talk through your situation and brainstorm other options, like youth shelters. We are available 24/7 at 1-800-786-2929. It takes a really strong person to get through what you have, and shows a lot of courage that you are reaching out for help.

Stay strong,
NRS

I'm 11 years old. I don't feel safe at home with my parent. My mom hit on me so many times and hold my neck. She yells at me every day.

[ccsmod9]

Hi, thank you for reaching out to us at National Runaway Safeline. We appreciate and understand the courage it takes to reach out and let us know what is going on. It sounds like you have a lot going on right now and it is completely understandable to feel overwhelmed and unsure. It may be helpful for you to consider reaching out to us via chat or phone call so, we can learn a little bit more about your situation. For the time being, there are several resources you may want to consider reaching out to. Help in the form of therapy/counseling could potentially be helpful in navigating family issues as well as daily life struggles. You may want to consider speaking to a counselor at school or, reaching out to us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button). We are a 24-hour service and are available to help anytime. Chatting with us directly would give us the ability to address your needs more specifically, and we hope to hear from you soon. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. Thank you for reaching out to us here at NRS. Be safe!