My "mom" can't handle me

[Guest]

I'm 16 will be turning 17 in October and I live with my step mom, who legally isn't my step mom anymore because her and my dad got divorced when I was 8. But I had a drug problem and was failing school when I was living with my dad and since my "step mom" was still kind of part of my life she brought me here (Alaska) to live with her and my younger brother and sister who are my half siblings as we have the same father and this step mom of mine is their mother. I've been doing better in school and not been doing drugs, but I'm not a very active or social person and it doesn't seem like my "mom" likes that very much as she's always trying to get me to do things but I don't want to do them so it seems as if I'm not doing good enough for her. I've also been dating this guy of whom she doesn't like for some stupid reason, because he honestly hasn't done anything wrong it just seems as if he's not perfect enough for her either so She doesn't like him. Anyways I had seen text messages that she told her boyfriend that I was a liar, moody, unpleasant to be around and so on. Then I also found that she had made it very clear that I am not her child and that she is just about done with me, I was wondering since legally she isn't my real parent and I don't think she actually had legal guardianship over me, can I go live with my grandparents? They are my biological mother's family and I do see them every so often but since this "mother" of mine doesn't seem to want me anymore can I make the decision to go live with them instead?

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out to us tonight. It sounds like you're in a pretty difficult situation right now. We are sorry to hear about the way you're being treated at your house with your step-mom. No one wants to hear bad things being said about them, and it's disappointing to hear she was saying those things about you via text message to someone else. It is understandable for you to feel frustrated or even misunderstood. The situation is a little bit tricky, but really the most important thing is custody.

Normally, when a youth leaves home before the age of 18 they could be considered a runaway. To be considered a runaway their legal guardian has to file a runaway report with their local police department. If your legal guardian does that the police would be looking for you and would have to bring you back home if they find you. The problem with this is finding out who your legal guardian is. You mentioned living with your step mom, but it was a bit unclear whether or not she is your legal guardian. Your legal guardian is the one who is supposed to take responsibility of you, and they can give you permission to do things. Once you find out who your legal guardian is it can make things easier because then you can talk to them about how you're feeling and your next steps from there.

You could talk to your grandparents about how you are feeling, too. They may know who your legal guardian is and they could even petition for custody of you if they wanted to.

If you want to talk more about what you're going through please don't hesitate to reach out to us again! You can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY, we are 24/7 so someone will always be here to answer. We wish you the best of luck with everything!