Is there any way to get to runaway legally?

[Guest]

Yesterday, my mom and I were arguing about school, how my grades were down, and she mentioned that I can either do two things.

1. Do exactly what she says for the next 2 years.
or
2. Get out of the house, and get my own job and housing.

I am 16, and do not know the legality of this, but if I were somehow able to get evidence of her giving actual permission, would she be able to go back on her word and call a runaway report? I have been thinking about running away for months, but have just recently been offered a place to stay in another state, and some money by a friend to start out on my feet. I just do not want my friend to get into any legal troubles for helping me, but I really need to get out of this place soon.

Thanks in advance,
H

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It defiantly sounds like a difficult situation and it is great that you are looking into all of your options. You mentioned that during an argument your mother gave you an ultimatum. We need you to know that just because your mother did this does NOT mean that you have the right to leave home. It would be different if she said that you cannot live with her or if she gave permission to live with someone else. Also keep in mind that just having her verbal confirmation may not be enough. It could be in your best interest to get a legally binding document stating that you can leave. Additionally if you do leave home without your mother’s permission she does have the right to file a runaway report for you. At this point the police would look for you and if you are found they would return you home. While running away is not a crime for you it could be for the people that you are staying with.
Unfortunately, we are not legal experts so we cannot give you more information about how the specifics of everything might work. If you would like to get definite answers it could be in your best interest to contact your local non-emergency police
We hope this response was helpful! We'd love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to support youth and families. Please click the link below to fill out our survey.
Tell us what you think about your experience!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

We hope you found this information helpful.
Best wishes,
NRS