17 and pregnant wanting to leave home

[Guest]

Hello, I'm a 17 years old and pregnant. I live in a house that I feel is unstable and unhealthy for me. I'm a high school graduate with a minimum wage job. I always have helped out my family in ways that I could, but now I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. My is currently in an on and off unhealthy relationship with an alcoholic/drunk. He always argues with her no matter where we are...wether it's in public or at home. She refuses to let this man disappear from her life no matter how many times me or my brothers tell her she should. Anyways it's gotten to the point to where they argue he brings up me and my pregnancy...he has convinced my mom that she should be taking all of my money from my paychecks, which she now does. Because of this me and her are constantly arguing and I'm stressing out way more than I need to due to these circumstances. My mom is now drinking more than she usually has, I pay most of the bills because she is financially unstable to provide for me or my brothers. Mainly I just want to find a way to be able to move out of this house because I'm due any day and dear that this housing will be an awful environment for me and my baby.

[ccsmod11]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you're in a really tough situation, with your baby due any day and you being the primary source of financial stability in your family. It's a lot to handle at 17.

It sounds like you're an incredibly responsible person, and it must be so frustrating for your mom to be taking away from your hard-earned paycheck meant for you and your baby. If you want help talking to your mom about this, we have a conference call service that might help. You and your mom would dial in, and someone on our side would mediate a conversation between you guys. It can help to have a neutral third party to keep things calm and productive when talking about difficult topics like this.

Since you are 17, you may be close to becoming an adult, depending on what state you are in. If the age of majority is 18 in your state, it's possible that if your mom filed a runaway report for you, the police wouldn't take it. That means you would be able to move out without worrying about being forced to return home. The best way to check is to call your local police department or to reach out to local youth shelters to see what their experience has been. If you'd like help locating shelters, feel free to give us a call and we will see what we can find near you.

You mentioned that your mom is drinking more than she has in the past. One thing you could try is talking to her about that and seeing if she would be willing to see a counselor to help her deal with what's going on in her life. A conference call might also be helpful in this situation.

Since you are also going through a time of great stress, you might also be interested in seeing a counselor yourself. It can help to have someone to help you through this time as well as a space where you know you will be heard. If you would like help looking into free/sliding-scale resources in your area, just give us a call. It can also be helpful to lean on friends for emotional support.

If you have any health questions regarding your pregnancy, Planned Parenthood is a great resource to reach out to. Their number is 1-800-230-7526.

We encourage you to give us a call if you'd like to discuss any of this further, or even if you just need someone to talk to. We are toll-free and 24/7. You can call us anytime at 1-800-786-2929.

Best of luck with everything,
NRS