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[Guest]

Hi there,
I am 16 and it has gotten to the point where I do not feel safe in my home. My parents are incredibly unpredictable and I never know what I am getting into when I wake up in the morning. Sometimes everything is normal and sometimes they are short tempered, use foul targeted language, and loud outlandish claims. This morning we got in an argument that involved a lot of what I consider to be verbal abuse ( calling me a "little **********" and a "selfish ********" etc) and it got borderline physical (my mother ran into my room screaming and seeming as if she might hit me before gently pushing me onto my bed). It is not always like this in fact it hardly ever is. Usually my parents and I get along incredibly well and are very close but when it gets bad it gets really bad. I do not think running away is an option I am open to pursuing but I do not feel safe here. I brought up the subject of therapy to my parents several years ago and they were incredibly resistant. Are there any other options to fix this?
Thank you so much on behalf of myself and all others who seek help here,
Amanda

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Hello Amanda,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us for help and support. We are sorry to hear that you no longer feel safe at home. Nobody deserves to be called names or to be verbally abused. It sounds like your conflict with your parents has gotten really bad, and it is understandable that you would want to leave that situation. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. Sounds like you are on the fence about running away from home. One thing to keep in mind is that at 16, if you do leave home without permission from your parents, they can call the police and report you as a runaway. The police may search for you and force you to return home, and anyone that you were staying with could get into trouble for harboring a runaway. It sounds like you have ruled out running away for now and would like some other options. You spoke with your parents about therapy a long time ago, which was a great step to take. Therapy can be really helpful for families. If you want help talking to your parents about this, we offer a conference call service here at 1-800-RUNAWAY where you could call us and we would help mediate a conversation between you and your parents. This may be a good way to bring up the possibility of going to therapy again, and we could also help you come up with a plan to deal with your situation. We can look into other options and resources as well. If you need to talk or you want to go over some more options, don't hesitate to give us a call or chat with us online. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.