I have no idea what to do.

[Guest]

I'm a teenager who lives in Michigan who wants to be independent, but there's one problem with that, I NEVER get allowances for doing chores and am always told how I don't work hard. My mom also drags me out to places in the middle of the day and makes me pay for everything, so now I have two dollars. They have enough money to give me an allowance, but they instead decided to spend 200 dollars on marijuana? My little brother is also treated better than I am and they almost always takes his side unless he does something that hurts their image. I get judged for every little thing, and they make me feel unwanted, which is why I need to start my own life, all I need to do is finish the rest of high school, which isn't long from now, and live in my own place already, I think I can handle living on my own too, but at the same time, there are zero people that are there for me, I go to a school that I deeply hate, am around people I don't like all day, don't get me wrong, I get straight As, but it REALLY feels like nobody gets me, and my parents rarely say that they love me and that they're proud of me that it kinda sucks. As long as I'm here, I live in a bad area with bad people, go to a bad school with NO friends, it's just that I feel that absolutely nobody is there for me, not even any "friends." All that really happens to me is that I'm treated like an idiot and am insulted behind my back, I don't really feel like anybody wants me around them, everyone treats me like I waste their time and get in their way, I don't really feel useful, again I may have straight As, but they're just letters on paper, it won't even matter what I'll get in high school because I have to go to college right after, which is VERY stressful, because from what I heard, a lot of people who went to college is in student debt that haunts them for the rest of their lives. My parents also adopted this pit bull in 2017 which is really obnoxious, that pit doesn't seem to be trained properly at all, it's VERY aggressive, it always attacks me and tries to break out of its leash, and it scratched up my lower body. I didn't want a pet in the first place, yet I'm the one that has to deal with it a lot, and it's anything but fun. I don't know if it's irrelevant now, but when I was younger, I used to get punched in the stomach for being "mean" to my little brother, even though I do little to nothing to him, yet when he does something to me, he goes off scot-free, he still gets punished less than me to this day, but also when I was younger I used to get grounded for things my brother did, and I got grounded for a WEEK because a piece of lettuce from a sandwich I had was on the ground, overall; I just want to live by myself while still going to school, and getting a job, I could have a head start when I reach adulthood.

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are dealing with a lot at home, and we want to try and help as much as we can.
We are by no means legal experts, but anyone under the age of 18 is considered a minor. This means that their legal guardians are in charge of where they live. This might make living by yourself difficult- most places will no lease to anyone under 18. Once you turn 18, you can live where you’d like.
You mentioned wanting to finish high school and getting a job- which are two great and mature things to do. Perhaps having a chat with your parents about getting a part time job will help with the financial strain you are feeling. Also, a great resource to look into is your school counselor- not only can they help with college planning (scholarships, financial aid, etc) they can be a great support system to what you are dealing with in your home life.
We want you to know that abuse of any kind is never ok. You mentioned some physical abuse in the past, and we are sorry to hear that happened. If you feel like you are in an unsafe environment, you have every right to report and remove yourself from the situation.
Everyone’s situation is different, and we would be happy to explore more via chat or over the phone. You can reach us 24/7 at 1-800-786-2929
Best of Luck,
NRS