Can I leave home

[Guest]

I'm fifteen year old who lives at home with my mother and I feel like my mom is mentally abusive towards me just the way she makes me feel worthless and stupid for my decisions. I've talked to her about moving in with my grandmother who lives about an hour away. My mother told me she would let me go live with my grandmother in a couple months and all I had to do was make a choice and not back down from that choice. I feel like I could really be happy at my grandmothers in a way I'm not with my mom. My mom makes certain decisions for me in life that I feel should be my choice such as whether or not I want to go to college or what classes I should take for school and I just feel like I need to get from underneath my mothers control, even though I love my mom very deeply. So is leaving home the best decision for me?

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out. It sounds like living with your mom has really been stressful for you, but it’s good to see that you’re exploring all of your options.

You definitely don't deserve to be abused in any way and you are always able to report the abuse. We are able to make abuse reports with or for you, if that is something you'd be interested in.Also, it’s important to note that we’re not legal experts, but we can offer some general advice/guidance based on our experience. If your mother has expressly told you that you can live with your grandmother, then you could most likely live with her without any issues. Your legal guardians are the only ones that can file a runaway report, so as long as your mom doesn’t do that.

You may have already done so, but it’s definitely important that you talk through the situation with your grandmother in depth to make sure she is also comfortable with you living with her. Also, talking to school teachers or counselors you trust could help you brainstorm options and give you some great support.

Again, thank you for reaching out to us for information. We’re happy to chat more about what’s going on at home to see how we might be able to help you if you’d like to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We’re here to listen, here to help.

Be well, NRS

[Guest]

I wanna leave ive been smashed in my back and ******** has been thrown at me by my mother.....my dad decided to make me sit on a wall and told me to put a bandana to my mouth after i said no he force fully tryed to put it in my mouth........today i got introuble and he started pushing my head to the floor.....i wanna leave i hate being here i dont feel like im apart of a home im his step son

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thank you so much for reaching out today. Sounds like you have been really hurt at home by your mom and stepdad. It is wildly not okay that your mom has hit you in the back and thrown things at you and your stepdad has pushed your head to the floor and forcefully put a bandanna in your mouth. You do not deserve to be harmed in any way; you should be able to feel safe in your own home. Here at NRS, we are primarily worried about your safety.

Whenever you feel like you are in immediate danger please call 911. You so have the right to report the abuse you have been enduring to child protective services (CPS). If CPS finds the abuse highly dangerous, you would be removed from your parents' care. To learn more about reporting you might reach out to the expert child advocates at Child Help 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org. You can also report through calling us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or with the help of a school counselor or teacher. If you have any injuries from your parents, you might take pictures of them to help with reporting to CPS.

If you are needing a shelter to go to, please do not hesitate to call or chat us so we can look for youth shelters in your area. You might also visit www.nationalsafeplace.com if you need somewhere safe to go.

You should not have to go through this alone and there are resources out there for you. Please call or chat us so we can provide support, go through your options with you, and help you report if you would like to do so.

You and your safety really matter to us and we look forward to hearing from you soon,

NRS