I'm 12 and I want to run Away.

[Guest]

I'm 11 and I want to run away because my mom and stepdad don't care about me + my sister does not love me and yell at me and cuss and drop the f bomb
so Im deciding to runaway please help me

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for contacting The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult time right now. You do not deserve to be yelled at and cussed at. You could consider talking to your parents about how you are feeling, they may not even know until you talk to them about how you are feeling. There are more options than running away. One option could be to talk to your school counselor, sometimes talking to people about how you are feeling can make you feel better. Another option is to try hobbies that you enjoy, that may be able to take your mind off of the things that are going on at home for a bit. You could also see if there are other family members that you could possibly stay with for a bit. If you do decide to runaway you may want to consider youyr safety, and where you will go, and what you will do about food and water. We are not legal experts but if you were to runaway, if the police found you they would most likely bring you home.
We hope this information will be helpful in your situation. If you have any other questions or would like to talk more please feel free to call us, we are available 24/7. Remember you are not alone and stay strong!
NRS

[Guest]

I’m 12 and I wanna run away

I was in a terrible home situation when I was in kindergarten my family was amazing but we had a baby sitter who sexually abused me for 3 years until I told someone in this time I was also raped by my brothers friend I was in therapy for 2 years and none of this was my family’s fault we moved and the man who sexually abused me is in jail to this day but the boy who raped me was “ too young to know what he was doing” so people like him are still out there knowing this I still wanna leave my home I feel like I can’t communicate with my parents I was cutting last year my mom saw my arms and I told her I walked through a rose bush and got cut up she didn’t believe me but didn’t say anything either I know she loves me but I can’t stay in this circle of misery I wanna leave but I don’t have anywhere to go I have 7 siblings but if I tried to get them to help me they would just bring me back home!!!!


Help me NRS!

[ccsmod15]

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.

We are sorry to hear that you are going through such a hard time. You don't deserve to be treated like that. If your safety is ever at risk you can call 911. You don't deserve to be hurt in any way. If it might be an option for you, you can consider filing an abuse report. You can call Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453 and they can help provide you more information on filing an abuse report. It sounds like things are so hard that you have tried to cope with cutting. We are sorry that you are going through this. You can call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255). You can also check out To write love on her arms for help https://twloha.com/find-help/. It can also be helpful to talk to a school counselor or a therapist. You can contact SAMHSA at 1-877-726-4727 and they can provide you counseling resources.


Running away from home can be hard in many cases. It can be help to think about where you might stay and how you might pay for food, rent, and other living expenses. While we are not legal experts just speaking generally if you are to run away from home without your parents permission and they are to file a police report the police can bring you back home and whoever you stay with could be charged with harboring a runaway. It can be unsafe in many cases to be out by yourself in many cases.

You are acting strong by reaching out for help. You can also call us at 1-800-786-2929 and we would be happy to 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 12 years old and I wanna run away because of my parents I feel like they are paying more attention to my sister then me I need help someone please give me advice and I have tried to speak to them but they won’t listen what should I do someone help x

[ccsmod7]

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re going through a really difficult time right now. It can be painful to feel like you’re second best in your own home.

You said you’ve talked to them before, but they might still be unaware that they treat you and your sister so differently. Have you considered having anther adult in the room for a conversation with your parents about the pain they’re causing you? Sometimes adults listen better when there are other adults in the room. Is there a relative nearby (like an aunt or an uncle) or maybe a family friend that you trust to be in the room with you?

If not, National Runaway Safeline offers a conference call service where we can help mediate the conversation. You just need to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY to initiate the service and tell us a little bit more about what you’re going through. Then we’ll connect with your parents in a three-way phone call

You are very brave to reach out for help, and we wish you good luck in your situation. Please feel free to call us at any time, even if you choose not to use the conference call service. We’re here 24/7 to listen to you.

[Guest]

Im 12 almost 13 I want to run away and go into a group home . I don't want to completely leave my parents but my mother has depression and won't take medication and is seriously affecting me she's also gone most of the time for work which means I'm either alone or with my father who is either drunk or high usually both and he also gets angry super easily and when he does I feel unsafe he hasn't physically done anything to me yet but he has damaged property and yelled alot I'm not sure what to do about my situation or if it's even bad enough to do this please respond and let me know what I should do
thanks

[ccsmod11]

Hello, and 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. It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now and you mentioned being harmed. We’re sorry you’re going through this. You don't deserve to be hurt in any way. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. You may also be able to report any mistreatment to CPS. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 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 you trust as far as transferring custody.

We here at NRS don't give advice or tell people what they should or shouldn't do as we trust that you know your situation best. Often, having a safe space to share how you’re feeling may bring a variety of solutions previously not thought of. You are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time.

If you would like to talk more in detail please chat soon through our website www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button) if you are unable to call in. Best, NRS

[Guest]

I’m currently 17 and I’m thinking about maybe leaving and running away in May. I will only be 4 months away from being 18 but i have the chance to stay with friends out of state and a way to get there. I have my birth Certificate and social security card. Would I too. Be okay. I read at 17 there’s nothing major that can be down to me and that only if your under 17 people you are staying with you can’t get into any real trouble. Is this true?

[ccsmod11]

While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and if found/located by police you may be returned home. What we have heard is that there are times when police (those who take the runaway reports) consider 17 a grey area and don't take a runaway report. There is no guarantee or way of knowing whether or not that will be the case in your situation unfortunately. It's also hard to say what the likelihood is of the people you stay with getting into trouble. It may depend on things such as whether or not your parents would press charges against them.

We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon. Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button). Best, NRS

[Guest]

I'm 11 and want to run away
because my parents hate me manly my mom she will say she hates me say she wishes I wasn't born and ignores me and shoves me and calls me a ********** and when I tell my dad he my mom says I'm lying and then my dad gets mad at me for telling the truth I have depression and suasidal thoughts or over 3 years now and I want to run away because i also get bullied and punched at best up at school I hate myself and all my "friends" call me so many names and then say it's a joke my parents are also splitting up and fight phisicly and verbily my teachers often hit my with P.E equipment or rulers nobody cares about me and I want to run away I have been cutting since 5th grade I just want to kill myself and I've tried but been caught and hit nobody would care if I run away so I want to run away to maybe Oakland and find a place for hiding out run aways or something else or just sleep at bart station

[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. It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now and you mentioned being harmed. We’re sorry you’re going through this. You don't deserve to be hurt in any way. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. You may also be able to report any mistreatment to CPS. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 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 you trust as far as transferring custody. It sounds like you’re fearing that the situation may end in suicide if things don’t change. Your safety and well-being is important. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255); www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org is also a great resource to reach out to in addition to our crisis services. While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.
Often, having a safe space to share how you’re feeling may bring a variety of solutions previously not thought of. You are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time.
If you would like to talk more in detail please chat soon through our website www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button) if you are unable to call in. We unfortunately cannot give advice as we are non-directive. You know your situation best
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS

[Guest]

I’m not gonna post a very long paragraph because my story is too long to put into words.im just gonna say I have major issues. Anxiety,depression,self harm, attempting,abuse,bullying,rape,family issues, basically everything you can think of. I’m tired of “home” or so it was. I just don’t feel the need to try anymore.

[ccsmod3]

Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline and sharing a little bit about what is going. It takes a lot of courage to reach out and especially in a time where you have a really tough and complex situation at home. We are sorry you are experiencing abuse, no one ever deserves to go through that. You do have the right to report the abuse to Child Help at 1-800-422-4453. You can either do it yourself or call into us directly and we can support you through it. It is hard to say the result of reporting, but if you call in you can ask what the process might look like.

Also another way you can seek help is reaching out to a friend, teacher, or counselor at school that can help you look for resources. Your mental health is important. You can also look at SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at samhsa.gov (call them directly at 1-877-726-4727) or NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-NAMI to help you find the support that you need. If you do ever feel in direct danger, to yourself, or some else makes you feel that way, please call out to 911 or reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255).

We are here for you and will support you in anyway that we can. Please feel free to call into us directly as we can talk further about your situation and find resources that are best for you in your area. Stay strong and you are not alone in this! Our hotline ( 1-800-RUNAWAY) and chat are open 24/7.

-NRS

[Guest]

im 12 years old. my family is very abusive and ive been abused for as long as i can remember. i have many scars on me and i hide them with makeup. i have suicidal though depression and anxiety. no one knows my situation except for one person and they support me and offered me to stay with them (they are my same age)but my only concerns are paying them back for the everything and my parents filing a runaway report. im not sure what to do.

[ccsmod6]

Thank you so much for reaching out! It takes a lot of strength to reach out and share your story. You do not deserve to be abused by your family and your safety is important. If you ever feel like you are in immediate danger you can call 911. Your situation might seem helpless right now, but there are people who care and resources that can support you. Depression and suicidal thoughts can be really difficult to work through alone, if you are ever having these bad thoughts you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. If you want to talk to someone you can also text “CONNECT” to 741741. If you felt comfortable doing this, you can call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 to file an abuse report. If you were to leave home without permission, your parents could file an abuse report which means that the police might bring you home. If this happens you can tell them that you do not feel safe at home. You can always call us at 1-800-786-2929 or chat us at 1800runaway.org if you need help or want someone to talk to.

[Guest]

hi
i am 12 years old and i want to run away. my mom and dad yell at me so much i just want to die. but i have tried to run away but every time my mom finds me. i want to run way right now but i cant its almost my birthday in like 5 days and i dont want to be in this house. I WANT TO DIE.

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thanks ever so much for reaching out to us. We’re so sorry to hear that the way your parents interact with you have made you feel that you want to die. We want you to know that we are here to support you and we will do our best to help you stay as safe as possible. Organizations like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available at 1.800.273.8255, or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org are there to listen and talk to you if you feel like you might hurt yourself. Please know that you are not alone. If you find that you want to talk about what’s been going on at home, you are also welcome to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

In your message, you also talk about wanting to run away. We understand how having your parents yell at you so much could make things really frustrating at home. Making the decision to run away is pretty important, and if this is something you choose to do, we hope that you’ll keep yourself safe by looking into where you might stay, as well as how long you’ll be gone for and how you’ll support yourself. Although we’re not legal experts, from what we do understand, if you run away without consent, your parents have the right to file a runaway report with your local police department. Your local police department might look for you and, if they do, they might return you home to your parents. Even though it's not illegal for you to run away, anyone that you stay with can potentially be charged with harboring a runaway or aiding and abetting a minor, both of which are considered misdemeanors. Whatever you decide, know that we are here to listen.

We want you to know that you’re not alone. If you feel like you need to talk to someone, we are here for you. You can reach us 24/7 by phone at 1.800.786.2929, or every day by chat. We won’t tell you what to do, but we will do our best to help you figure out the best way to keep yourself safe during such a difficult time. We’re here to listen, here to help. Stay safe!

-NRS

[Guest]

hi im 12 years old and i want to run away because i dont want to live no were else, Cause my mom doesnt want to be with my dad so i want to go live alone

[ccsmod6]

Hi, thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like things are really tough and confusing right now. If your mom doesn’t want to be with your dad, it sounds like you would have to move away from your current home.
It’s understandable for you to have many feelings about the situation, especially a complicated one like this with your mom and dad. Sometimes our feelings are so strong that it’s hard to see the whole picture clearly and wanting to run away might seem like a way to manage all of that. But being only 12, living on the streets would be very dangerous for you. Our mission is to help keep youth safe and off the streets and sometimes that means helping people to think about things in a different way.
It might be a good idea to talk with one or both of your parents about what you feel and think. It’s possible that they or another adult that you trust can help you sort out all the complicated things that you feel. You are very smart to reach out to us and ask questions and we are proud of you for that.
You can always call us to talk things over. We can talk about everything going on and help you find a way to feel more in control of things. We are here by phone 24 hours every day at 1-800-RUNAWAY or you can live chat at 1800runaway.org I hope this helps and we wish you the best.

[Guest]

Im 11 and I want to run away

Hi Ive been thinking about running away lately because i messed up my phone my parents calling me a ********** a spoiled brat and other things where should i go or or what do you suggest i do?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for contacting us, it takes a lot of courage to reach out and share your story. It must be really hard to live into a home with so much tension.

It’s important to consider all the possibilities that can occur if you leave home. You will need to plan out how you will cover basic necessities like travel, food, clothing, etc. If you have a place to go in mind, it’s good to see what the expectations of the living arrangement will be like; rules, the amount of time you’re allowed to stay, if you’re expected to contribute financially, etc. This can all influence your decision to leave.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

I’m 12 and I wanna run away and never come back. I have a severe case of Depression and that is affecting my emotional life severally. I have cut and ran to a friends house at 2 am I was “missing” for 3 days. I was found and brought home, I ran because I was mad, upset. I thought u didn’t belong. I still wanna runaway. I lost my grandpa at the age of 12 and that started my depression then a year later I lost my dog. I cry myself to sleep. I see a counselor but that doesn’t work. Everyone thinks it does but nope. I don’t like my life rn. I feel like it’s my fault to protect my baby cousins cuz there parents are into bad drugs and they have no one to go too except for me and my family. I am severely crying rn and I don’t trust my self anymore.

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, reaching out takes great bravery and w are glad you had the bravery to reach out to us. It sounds like you are going through an extremely difficult time right now. We want you to know that you are not alone and there is always someone willing to listen to you. Depression can be extremely hard to deal with alone, if not impossible. You may want to consider speaking to a school counselor. We know you mentioned speaking to a counselor is not helping, sometimes changing counselors can help. Also you can try coping skills to get your mind off of feeling depressed. Some coping skills we have seen are writing your feelings in a journal, hanging out with friends, taking deep breaths those can all help you.
If you ever feel like cutting you can take a rubber band and put it on your wrist and pull it every time you want to cut. Losing a family member can be really tough, so it is understandable that you are feeling depressed. If counseling is not working you may want to consider medication, but you would probably need to talk to your parents about being on medication first.
And it is great that you want to protect your baby cousin, but do not feel like you are obligated to do that. But that shows you are a great and caring person. Running away is not a criminal offense, it is a status offense. What that means is that if you were to runaway and the police found you they would most likely bring you back home. You could consider asking your parent’s if you could stay a few days at a friend’s or family members house. If you ever need to talk you can call us or NAMI, which is the national alliance for mental health association. They can be reached at 950-NAMI.
We hope this information will be helpful in your situation. If you have ny other questions or would like to talk more about what is going on feel free to call us we are here 24/7. We wish you the best of luck!
NRS

[Guest]

I'm twelve and have a girlfriend but I don't want to leave her.... what should I do??

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for contacting The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. In order to discuss your options we would need to know more about your situation. We are available 24/7 please give us a call at 1800runaway. We wish you the best of luck
NRS

[Guest]

Hello, I am a 13 year old girl and I want to run away so badly. My dad yells at me and calls me hurtful names, he hits me and my sister. My mother wasn't as bad before but she's getting to be like him. She doesn't hit my other siblings, but she recently hit me. She calls me hurtful names also. I have thought of speaking to a guidance counselor but I feel like they won't help me at all, and will just call my parents. Which will just make it worse. I can't even speak to my parents about any of this because they will just say I'm lying and faking it. School has also left me so stressed and lost. I hate it there. Everyone, except for my closest friends, are so hateful and judging, like my parents. I have no safe place and I have no one to talk to about this. There were many times where I wanted to get hit. I feel worthless. Sometimes I want to fight back, sometimes I want to call the cops or someone to help me. I want to see a therapist, or see a doctor because of my mood swings, or my built up aggression, or for the times were I feel so anxious, or for when I cry (sometimes for no reason) and can't stop crying, but I'm afraid to ask. I'm not happy at home and it's affecting me at school. Which turns into more yelling at home.I don't want to tear the family apart, or hurt my siblings. But at the same time, I want my dad to get arrested. I want to be taken away. I just don't know what to do.

[ccsmod4]

Reply: Hello, I am a 13 year old girl

Hello,

You mentioned some things that raise concern for your safety and well-being. If any harm or abuse is happening at home, you have the right to report it. We are not experts on the issue, but generally once it's been reported, social services will either decide whether or not to take the case and further investigate. If they do take the case, they will send out someone from child protective services to do an investigation (interviewing people in the household) and from there they will decide the level of danger within the household. It generally ranges from no danger (the youth stays in the home, some services are given, and the case is closed), moderate danger (they will provide family services with possible temporary displacement) and high danger (they will remove the youth from the home and offer certain services).

If you feel like this is an option you want to explore, you may find this website helpful: https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse/. We can also help you to file a report if that’s the route you are considering.

Please be safe and reach out soon by phone or chat so that we may help.
Take care,
NRS

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 youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: Your Opinion Matters to Us