I am 15 and i want to go live with my friends family

[Guest]

My parents passed away when I was 10, so the court made my grandma my guardian since grandmas normally want what is in the best interest of their grandchildren.. I'm not saying that is not true but I knew from the beginning (at 10 yrs old) that she would not be able to take on all the responsibilities that come with 2 girls (me and my sister) going into their teen years... and I was right. The past 6 years I kind of had to grow up and be my own adult, which I'm fine with, but I am stuck in the most infuriating triangle. Since my grandma can't do much my uncle stepped in and tries to do as much as he can to help but he doesn't rlly have a say in most stuff. I wanted my uncle to be my guardian but at that point of time he wasn't financially fit. Since I have less than 2 years till I'm 18 its pointless to go through the very long difficult and annoying legal work to change my guardian.. but I was hoping if there was a easy way for me to maybee legally be allowed to live somewhere else or at the very least get my uncle legal guardianship of me too. My grandma technically provides for me financially (but very barely...) and my uncle practically does everything else. The problem is that I don't think my grandma is physically or mentally capable of taking care of me and (especially) having the ultimate say to what happens with my life. I have very ambitious expectations for myself and it is very difficult to stay focused on myself and my future when I have to take care of everyone and everything else... COMPLETELY BY MYSELF. Just yesterday I was dragged into very serious and awkward family drama (I shouldn't even be involved in) but at this point its just a casual Thursday for me. I was just cleaning my room, folding my clothes, while everyone was yelling and throwing stuff in the next room. The only reason why things didn't actually get physical was because I was there (kind of like the anchor to not loosing ur sh*t) but that should not be my responsibility I should not have to stop what I am doing to watch THE ADULTS and make sure no one throws a temper tantrum and is calm. But its fine. whatever. I can b the sane... not adult.. adult, but what pisses me off is that even no one seems to think about what is in my best interest I am not allowed to do that either. I so badly wanted to go for a drive and not be around incase things entered unsafe territory.. maybe go to my uncles house.. but I was not allowed to. My grandma starts complaining about how no one lets her be at peace and all these things she has to deal with.. which I understand she goes through a lot.. but she doesn't seem to understand that these things effect me too. anyways.. back to the point. I want to get out of the awkward triangle of trying to do things that are in my best interest... everyone also agrees is my best interest.. but then not being allowed to bc for some reason my grandma doesn't.. no logically reasons.. just a no (i'm not just talking about what I explained up there^ theres a lot more. trust.) My uncle tries to help but again can't get involved w much since gma is his mom.. gma is my guardian.. end of story.. but what I think would've saved me from the manyy mental traumas I've experienced was if, along w my grandma, I was given guardianship to someone who had many yrs of mental and physical capabilities ahead of them with knowledge of how life is like in the 21 century.. and in America.. idk it makes sense to me.. u get a loving grandma who means good even when she has no idea what she's doing.. and an uncle who can catch her before she makes stupid decision.. AND be legally allowed to do that. issa win win..

[ccsmod10]

Hi and thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like there is a lot going on and we’re glad you found us for support.

First, we want you to know that we are not legal experts, so we can’t give you any specific legal answers/advice. However, we can tell you that you would be able to legally stay somewhere else if your guardian gave you permission. Do you think your grandma would ever let you stay with your uncle sometimes? Would she be open to a conversation about compromise, maybe where she still has guardianship but you get to live with your uncle sometimes? If you want to explore ideas like this with us, we are ready for you at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

From what you say, it sounds like you take a lot of the family stress that you feel you shouldn’t have to take at your age. How do you stay healthy and mentally sane? Do you have things that you enjoy doing, or take your mind off of home life for a bit? It’s important to take care of yourself, while you seem to be taking care of so much else in your family situation. Again, if you are comfortable, we are here to talk with you and discuss outlets and ways to stay healthy in a frequently stressful situation.

Also, you mentioned a few instances where communication between you and your grandma seems like a source of frustration. You’re mature enough to see that your grandma’s going through a lot, too, but it might feel unfair that you don’t feel heard at the same time. If you’re interested, we have a Conference Call service at NRS where someone here could be on the phone with both you and your grandma at the same time. That way, someone here could mediate the conversation to make sure each side gets to say what they want without being interrupted, yelled at, etc. All you’d have to do is ask about a Conference Call if you call in.

Your maturity shows by reaching out to us for support, and we want you to know we are here 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY if you ever need more. You never have to feel alone in this.

Please be safe,

NRS

[Guest]

Hello to whom it may concern,
I've been wanting to run away from home for awhile now but I have always been scared about all the consequences.I am a 15 year old child but will be turning 16 in a couple of months.At home, I have to deal with my (parents) yelling at me and always being negative and discouraging towards me like I feel like I can never do anything right.I try my hardest to help out my family like cooking and cleaning and helping with my siblings but I still can't seem to please them.I make money by helping out my neighbors and other people around my block.I have been saving up most of my money just for when I decide to actually leave.Last year was a really rough year for me because when my (parents) started yelling at me,I began to act out at school and my grades began dropping badly and I couldn't concentrate at sports.I began to have really bad anxiety and depression.One night me and my (mother) got into a fight because she found out I was self harming myself and that my grades were dropping badly.I told her that I hated it here and she goes then why haven't you left,we might as well just send you to Jackson County juvenile detention center or Wellstone.In my mind it didn't seem like a really bad idea because that's how much i hated it here.I began having really suicidal thoughts but I met this girl and she helped me through it all.She made me think that it's not that bad because I get fed and don't get abused and most kids have it worse.I have still managed to put up with it but I have improved a lot as a human,my grades are straight A's and my anger issues and depression have became better.Even though i still get yelled at,at some points I can't deal with it.I have been offered multiple times that I can stay with my best friend and her family but I have to take into consideration that they are struggling with financial issues already since her brother is super sick and I feel like kid would just add more stress and pressure on them.I also thought to research a lot about this but if i do happen to leave,my stupid (parents) just have to file a runaway report and Im stuck back into this stupid house and they can also file a harboring child on my best friends family and I feel like that would just be more struggle on them and I Have tried to contact my biological parents to try and get back with them but the problem is that I love my school and will probably feel home sick if I happened to move back in with them so what do I do?

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,
Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re going through a lot at home, but we’re glad that you reached out. From what you’ve said, you really have done your research to try and figure out what the best next steps might be.
You mentioned that you have felt depressed, self-harmed and have also experienced suicidal thoughts. We want you to know that you are not alone and it’s understandable that you have tried to find the best ways you can to cope. If you ever do feel like harming yourself you might want to consider contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org You deserve to feel supported through this.
While we are not legal experts, typically you are correct in that it’s possible if you runaway you will be returned home and that harboring a runaway could result in negative consequences for the family you stay with. Unfortunately, the law sees your primary guardian as the people you live with right now. An Alternative Living Arrangement is an option if your current primary guardian signs off on it. This means that you can go through legal chains to change your primary guardian in order to live somewhere else, but it would require the consent of your guardian.
It sounds like overall you want your family to understand more that you are trying your best and that sometimes the yelling at home is really difficult to deal with. It could be helpful to think about what you’d like to see change at home. Here at the National Runaway Safeline do offer conference calling with guardians. So if you were interested in having a mediated conversation with your family we can call out to them with you on the line and try to mediate the situation as well. We can be reached at 1-800-786-2929 if you feel like that’s a resource you’d like to look more into.
If you need any additional support, please feel free to reach out to us. You might want to consider talking to a friend or other trusted adult about what’s going on at home. It sounds like it has had a big impact on you.
We wish you all the best,
NRS

[Guest]

I am fifteen and would like to move out but I know my parents would not let me and would lie about what they have done to me they won't stop so I really want to leave with my friend who would let me stay with them I want to know if I will get in trouble for leaving and if I can be forced to stay with them and how I can move out without there permission

[Guest]

So my girlfriend is 17 and her family constantly abuses her mentally and sometimes physically. My aunt would be willing to take her in and help her out and support her as to make her feel as though she had family. But I know her parents won’t give her permission to do so. Is there any way she can move in with my aunt without permission from her parents if CPS finds evidence of the abuse?

[ccsmod4]

Reply:So my girlfriend is 17

Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on.
If your girlfriend feels unsafe or at risk with being at home because of abuse, we encourage that she reach out and seek help immediately by dialing 9-1-1.
She can also report the abuse to a teacher or counselor etc. at her school.
Another option is to call Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453 this www.childhelp.org is an organization that helps protect minors from being harmed. It may also be a good place to explore options for staying with another family member or someone trustworthy as far as transferring custody.

You did a good job reaching out today. She is lucky to have your support especially during such a difficult time.

We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hi Im 13 and i want to live with a friends family in nevada but i live in florida. She used to be a good friend and she is talking to her grandpa to let me live with him cause her parents dont have space.
At home i am abused physically and mentally by im called names and that im scum and useless by my parents and younger brother. I was fed mold which i am allergic to and almost died and last night on 09/12/2018 they threw me onto a lot of thumb tacks and spat on me. Im worried they wont agree for them to get me because they would want to keep me to keep going but i do now want to randomly fostered.
How Would I Take Care Of This Problem Because I Cant Take This Abuse Anymore And I Dont Want To Be Random Fostered.
If You Have Answers Please Tell Me. Thanks.

[ccsmod5]

Hi there,

Thanks so much for reaching out. First, it is not ok that you are being abused. If you ever feel that you are in immediate danger, you can call the police to intervene. No one deserves to be abused.

You do not deserve to be treated the way you are being treated. One option you have is to report the abuse. If you are interested in doing this you can contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. This hotline is confidential and can help answer some of your questions about what would happen if you filed a report. It makes sense that you are worried about being randomly fostered and that you would prefer to stay with someone you know you’ll feel comfortable with. We can’t speak with absolute certainty on how the fostering process would go, though generally there is an attempt to place fosters with households that are a good match. This is also something that you can talk about with the above hotline (National Child Abuse Hotline).

It’s good that you’re talking to a friend about this and that they are willing and able to help you. If you go to live with your friend’s grandpa without your parents’ permission, it is possible that they could file a runaway report, and it is possible that your friend’s grandpa could be charged with harboring a runaway. If you want to talk more about what’s going on with you, you might also consider talking to a teacher or guidance counselor at your school who you trust and feel comfortable around.

You can also contact our hotline at 1-800-786-2929 if you want to talk to someone on the phone. It could help to talk to someone more about what’s going on with you, so we can better discuss what your options are.

Thanks again for reaching out and don’t hesitate to call our hotline

[Guest]

hi, so i’m thirteen and live in switzerland. I can not live with my family anymore. It’s mostly about my mom. she is a despicable person that juges everyone and has prejudices on just about everything. My dad, from a rich family in belgium is nice and all but i fear him. I mean he is kind and makes me laugh but as soon as he raises his voice i go in defense mode and shut down completely. I am very troubled about my future. For a while already i’ve been thinking of running away. But where? there aren’t shelters in switzerland. And in another way, am i actually ready to do this? do i want to live on the run? And not go to college, marry a nice, correct rich man and have a nice child and live in a nice house like my parents expect from me? Will i diverge? or be a sheep? i really don’t know and education is very important to me too so...
I don’t even know why i wrote all of this. Probably because i want someone to know...

[ccsmod5]

Thank you so much for reaching out. It can be so difficult when your parents are judgmental or if they give you reason to fear them. It sounds like things are pretty stressful for you and it also sounds like you have a lot of questions about what your future might hold. You mention that you're thinking about running away. The National Runaway Safeline is located in the United States of America (USA). Our knowledge of helpful community based resources and our understanding of youth in crisis related laws is limited to the USA. If you are located in a country outside of the USA, you can use this link to find a youth helpline in or around your country: http://www.childhelplineinternationa...where-we-work/ . We also encourage you to reach out to people you trust, like teachers at school or even extended family members, as it can be helpful to talk through some of your feelings and concerns.

Sincerely,

NRS

[Guest]

I’ve had a tough relationship with my parents and I’ve been sent to the mental hospital once because of them. They make me want to die I can’t stand them. They ground me every weekend for nothing and they try and find the smallest things to get into an argument about. I am at the point where I can’t take it and need to get away from them. What can I do??

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Taking care of yourself is important, and we are glad you are seeking help. It seems like you are overwhelmed by constant arguments and being grounded. You also stated that you were in a mental hospital and we want you to know that your mental health and wellbeing is very important. We are sorry to hear that you are not feeling supported from your parents at this time.

If you are currently having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself, you have the option of calling the National Suicide Hotline directly at 1-800-273-TALK or seeking urgent medical care. Other options could be to speak with a school counselor or a therapist in your area about how you have been feeling and what has been going on at home. Another option would be to speak with a trusted friend or family member about what you have been feeling. Sometimes speaking to someone about these things can help you work out some of these feelings in a safe manner.

We are here to support you in any way that we can and have a conference call option that we can utilize to help advocate for you with your parent. We would be happy to discuss your situation further and answer any specific questions you may have. Please feel free to call our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) anytime, we are open 24/7.

[Guest]

I'm planning on running away and going to live with a friend. Will my friend's parent be able to enroll me in school without me getting caught as a runaway?

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I'm planning on running away

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It is likely that you may need a parent or guardian to sign you for to enroll into school. You might check with the local school district to get more information on this matter.

We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

I am 15 and I was forced to move from my friends and my family. I moved about 10 hrs away from everyone I knew and loved. I played football and lacrosse and I felt like I belonged at this school for a very long time. I am currently a sophomore. I understand that many of you will probably not believe me but I loved this girl very much and she loved me. When I moved we promised each other we would be togther forever and that's what hurts. My parents are divorced and my dad still lives where I used to. I can't move in with him well not entirely because he outside the school district so I was thinking of moving in with my best friend who already okd everything with his parents and they have an extra room available. And no I'm not saying I'm doing all this for the girl a part of me is but not all of me. I've been feeling super depressed lately and it's interfering with my brain and my school work. I used to be a straight a student and now I'm a straight B student. The that is making this hard is the fact that my mom loves me more than anything and I love her too so leaving her would break her and that's scary. But I don't wanna live here anymore I feel lost and i know If I move back in would feel normal again. I don't know should I risk everything for my happiness or should I stay and be sad.
,

[ccsmod0]

Hi, it sounds like you’re going through a really tough situation, and it was great of you to reach out to us today. Moving can be a really turbulent and difficult situation, so it’s totally understandable that you’re feeling lost. It sounds like you really liked where you lived, and now you’re somewhere new, and that can be really scary. We can’t tell you what’s best for you, but we can definitely help you think through your options. It sounds like you’re really torn between trying to leave to live with a friend near your dad, or staying home with your mom, so let’s go through what each of those could look like.
Since you’re 15 and your parents are divorced, any of this can be complicated by who has custody of you. We are not legal experts, but we can speak in generalities, but keep in mind that everything does get a bit more complicated when there’s a custody agreement. If you were to go to stay with the friend, then your legal guardian(s) could file a runaway report for you. This would be considered a status offense, and what this means is that if the police were to find you, they would likely bring you back home. Whether they would bring you to your mom or dad, we really can’t say. In addition to that, since you’re a minor, your friend’s parents could potentially be charged with harboring a runaway, but whether this would happen depends on the actions taken by your parents as well as the police department. Trying to stay with your dad could be an option that would allow to be close to your friends and girlfriend without having to worry about the runaway report, but again, this all depends on your parents’ custody arrangement.
If, on the other hand, you were to stay home with your mom (or if you went back to your old area and still felt depressed), there are a lot of resources available to you; you don’t have to go through any of this alone. You can try calling NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-NAMI, SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-877-726-4727, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Any of these hotlines would be able to connect you with local and national services for mental health and depression.
Even after thinking about the logistics, there’s still a lot to consider in terms of how it would feel emotionally to move back home and not live with your parents, or to stay at home and feel lost. If you ever need support or clarity while trying to work through any of this, please feel free to reach out to us any time at 1-800-Runaway. We are available 24/7 and we’re here to listen.

[Guest]

hi my name is xx and I'm 12
I always get yelled at them saying I'm a mistake and can't do anything right
How can I tell the m i want to move out to my best friends house with her dad

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting us at the National Runaway Safeline. It takes great courage to reach out for help and we are glad that you decided to reach out to us.

It is not for anyone to hurt you in anyway. You deserve to be treated with respect and your life matters. You are not alone and we are here to support you through this process. It sounds like you are thinking about leaving home. Leaving home can be hard in many cases. It can be helpful to think about how long you can stay at your friend’s house, how you might pay for food or other living expenses. We are not legal experts however speaking generally if you are to leave home without your parents’ permission the police can bring you back home and whoever you are staying with could be charged with harboring a runaway.
Family counseling and talking to a school counselor or a family member or friend can be helpful in many situations. You can contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and they can provide you any counseling resources.
You are doing great by reaching out for help. You can also contact us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we can listen to you, explore your options and provide any resources. We wish you the best and hope to hear from you soon.

Best,
NRS

[Guest]

Hi. I'm 15 too. My mother lost custody of me when I was a child. Then I was under the custody of my godmother. She took care of me then this March she passed away. I now live with my aunt that emotional abusing me all the time. She's even talking about putting me in a girls home. I have this really good friend and we're like brother and sister. I'm always at his house and his mom even takes care of me like everyday I even spend the whole weekend over there. Would she be able to get custody of me? My aunt doesn't want me here and doesn't take care of me but my friend mom does and she's like my mom now. Is there any way I can get emancipation also?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runway Safeline. We appreciate you contacting us in your time of need, it was very brave of you.

It sounds like you’ve gone through some pretty stressful times after your mom lost custody over you. You don’t deserve to be abused in any way, your aunt shouldn’t be putting you through more harm. It’s understandable that you want to move in with your friend and you deserve a peaceful home to live in. We’re not legal experts ourselves, so we don’t know much about emancipation. We have heard in some cases, where the judge will listen to the child’s input who they would rather live with.
We also have a database of legal aid resources that help youth for free. If you wanted us to connect you with those resources, don’t hesitate call into our safeline. They could help you find ways to change your custody.

We hope our response is helpful. In addition, talking to school counselors and teachers about what’s going on at home could provide you with great support. You are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. You are always welcome to call into our 24/7 crisis center, or use our chatting services via our website.

Be safe, NRS

[Guest]

I don’t feel safe in my own home. I see things my parents can’t. I’m scared and Idk what to do

[ccsmod9]

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe, NRS

[Guest]

I’m 13 and can’t stand my mom and her fiancé. She is so negative towards everything no matter what it is. She is never in a good mood. She yells at me for literally everything and is always saying how she wishes I didn’t live here and how she can’t wait till I can finally leave. She is always asking me if I want to live with someone else but when I say yes, she starts screaming at me but when I say no, she does the same thing. She gets so pissed off for the smallest things. She hates me because I hate her fiancé. I hate him because he treats my mom like crap. He makes her do everything for him and makes her pay for everything. He has abused her before and he just denies it when anyone confronts him. My mom doesn’t care how he treats her, she just lets it happen. She is sooooo unhappy and everyone knows this but she won’t leave him. And then they had a baby together and now he really won’t go. He would leave for days or weeks at a time and come back and she wouldn’t care. When she is mad at me, I sometimes don’t want to deal with her so much that I don’t eat until school the next day, and I just sit up in my room and do nothing all night, and I don’t eat breakfast or lunch either, so I don’t eat anything...but that’s besides the point. But it does get annoying because I would like to eat but I don’t want to be around her and she makes it very clear that she doesn’t want to be around me. When she is mad, every time she sees me, she says something snarky or just starts yelling or just gives me complete attitude or ignores me. But if I ignore her while she is yelling at me, she screams at me even more. But she always says how everything is my fault and she doesn’t do anything wrong, and also saying that I’m such a horrible person and I’m so mean and that I’m just so terrible, so it’s really damaging my self esteem hearing this about me all the time, and my self esteem is already pretty bad. I don’t know what to say or do. All she does is talk crap about me. She literally always says that she wants me out, but won’t let me move out. I talk to my friend a lot of time about it and she said I could most likely stay with her. I know that it might put her family in a weird/difficult financial situation, but I’m getting a job when I turn 14 and I will try and get 2 jobs when I’m 16, so I could help out with that. And I know her parents don’t want to get in trouble if I just stayed with them without permission, even though that wouldn’t be possible. So I need advice on how to go live with her...I know it seems very jurassic, seeing I’m only 13 but I literally can’t live here anymore. I don’t want to kill myself because all my friends are amazing and I don’t want to die, but I just can’t live there. And I feel like if this continues like this, it might come to that point. But I rly rly don’t want that happen. So how do I have a conversation with my mom and him about this? How do I make this happen?

[ccsmod3]

Hi there,

It sounds like you are going through a lot right now, so we are glad you are reaching out to us because we are here to help! It seems like thigs have been strained with your parents for a while, but contacting us is a good first step in figuring out your options.
No one deserves to be slapped and called a b word and other names, especially by a parent. While we don’t know the whole situation, some of the things you mentioned can be considered abuse. When those actions occur, you have the option to report those actions to the authorities if you choose to. The police can be called or you can file the abuse directly with Child Protective Services (CPS). After filing, an investigator would be contacted to look into the situation at your home. If you would like to learn more about your options of reporting, Child Help, the National Child Abuse Hotline can share more information on the reporting process at 1-800-422-4453. While every situation is different, in some cases police and CPS involvement can help to stop that type of abusive behavior. On our hotline (1-800-786-2929) we can also talk with you about abuse reporting and can even help you make the report if you feel comfortable doing so.
If you do not feel comfortable reporting the abuse just yet, you may have other options as well. Have you talked to your mom about how you are feeling about those experiences? Being open about how you feel about the way your dad treats you or how your mom has been treating you lately may help her to see it from your perspective. Sometimes having someone advocate for you (like a family friend or relative) can help start the conversation. If you would prefer not to involve a relative or family friend but would still like some help talking to your mom, we offer a conference call service here at the National Runaway Safeline. Basically we would talk to you on the phone about your situation. We would then contact your mom and talk to her a little bit as well. We would then join the calls and remain on the line to keep conversation constructive. You can find out more about the conference call by calling our hotline at 1-800-786-2929.

You also asked questions about leaving home. As we mentioned, we aren’t legal experts, but we can let you know that running away isn’t illegal, but is considered a status offense if you are under the age of adulthood (which is typically 18, but some states have different laws on adulthood). Basically, that means that if you leave home, your mom has the option of calling the police and reporting you as a runaway. As we said, running away isn’t illegal, so if you don’t have a previous record, then the police most oftentimes just bring runaways back home if they know where you are staying. Your mom may also have the option to press charges against anyone the takes you in as that may be considered “harboring a runaway.” If you were to leave home, do you know where you would go? Maybe close friends or relatives your mom would feel comfortable giving permission to? If your guardians give you permission (it usually helps to have it written – like a text message) you may be able to avoid any authority involvement at all.

As we said earlier, we are here to help, but we are also here to listen. If you would like to discuss the options we mentioned above or would like to help brainstorm alternatives, please do not hesitate to call. We are here 24/7.

Best of luck!