Could I just stay with my dad?

[Guest]

Hello, thank you for taking time to read this. I am currently 16 years old and I am about to turn 17 in two weeks. My parents have been divorced for many years now. They do have shared custody of me however, living with my mom and step dad is almost unbearable. I was wondering what could be done if I willingly stayed with my father and didn’t go back to my mothers? keep in mind my mom is like the primary guardian type thing. Are there ways for her to make me come home and keep me there? because that is my greatest fear. I don’t know what could happen and idk if it would cause any legal issues.

[ccsmod7]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out today. Sounds like a really stressful situation at home with your stepdad. It is understandable that you are considering your option of moving in with your dad.

We are not legal experts but we can speak generally, there is a possibility that you could stay with your dad depending on your situation if he has some custody rights over you. Generally speaking, if you run from you mom's to your dad's and they both have some custody, police could see that as a civil issue for the courts rather than a runaway situation. So they might not take a runaway report for you and refer your mom to the courts if she tried to report you and knew you were at your dad's. If you haven't already, you might ask your dad if you can live with him. He might also have some legal options in court for gaining more custody of you in court as well.

We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you would like to talk in detail about your situation. We are always here for you.

1-800-RUNAWAY; www.1800runaway.org

Best,

NRS