Want to run away from home, in a tight spot.

[Guest]

I am a 13 year old male, in 8th grade, and I want to run away from home. I have several reasons why.

1. My parents don't seem to enjoy taking care of me. They spoil me a quite a lot, I honestly do not like it too much. They say they want me to be happy and that is why they spoil me, but I don't think they like spending so much money on me, and I don't particularly like it either. My household family is financially struggling, and I think I am the reason why they are struggling with low quantities of money. So if I leave, that means they won't have to spend any more money on me, therefore letting their money value grow larger without me around. And just in general it's hard work for them to take care of me, very hard work.

2. I barely have any friends or a social group of any kind, I do have a very small handful of friends, but they don't treat me well, and tell me to leave or tell me to go f my self. I have anxiety too, so I am not very good at talking to people or structuring conversations.

3. I am not what you would call a person who has "intellect" or is "intelligent," the grades I get at school are generally very poor, (average GPA around 2.10) and I am made fun of because of it.

Because I don't have good friends or anybody to talk to about this, maybe you can help me sort out these issues. I mean I know exactly where I want to go when I run away, but I just don't know what to do.

[ccsmod16]

Hi there, thank you so much for reaching out! We are here to help. It sounds like you have really thought this through and are certainly going through a lot. We are so sorry to hear you have so little support from friends or family.
It can be really hard to feel like you are a burden on your family financially. When thinking about running away at such a young age, there is a lot to consider. We are glad you reached out to us first. Just so you know, if you leave without your parents’ permission, they can file a runaway report with police. It is not a crime for you to runaway, but usually, if police come into contact with a runaway, they try to return the youth back home and provide services to help prevent it from happening again. You said you know where you would go; something to know is that any adult that lets you stay with them could get in trouble from the crime of harboring a runaway. So it isn’t a crime for you, but for adults who help you, it could be.
Anxiety can be really hard to deal with, especially without support from friends or family and when school is hard for you. You may consider talking to a school counselor or a teacher about how you are feeling and try to get some extra help or tutoring so you can bring your grades up if that concerns you.
If you call us, we can also set up a conference call with you and your parents. Sometimes tough situations are easier when a neutral third party (like NRS) is involved. We can also provide you with some phone numbers for counselors in your area who may help you with the stressful home environment and anxiety.
You are really strong for hanging in there! You are in a tough situation! Please reach out anytime! We are here 24/7! 1-800-RUNAWAY.