I'm 13 and I want to run away from home.

[Guest]

Hi,
I am 13 and would like to run away (maybe to my girlfriend's house). I don't know what to do. My parents are kind of strict but they argue a lot and always have. I think i might have ptsd from them doing it all the time when i was young but i don't know. I can remember I've always wanted to run away since i was little. I want to run away but I can't especially during quarantine right now. It would be extremely obvious if I ran away now. My parents aren't abusive or anything physically but they argue a lot. I don't know how to live as a runaway.. I just want to get out of here but i don't know if I should just wait through it until college or maybe run away now.
Please help me, I need advice.

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

It was very brave of you to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline and we appreciate you sharing a bit about your situation. It sounds like your parents strict rules and constant yelling have taken an emotional toll on you. The way you are feeling is completely understandable, yelling and tension can be very stressful and traumatic. You deserve to be treated with respect and to feel supported.

Sometimes having a safe space to talk through things and building a support system you can lean on can make handling issues at home feel easier and help you brainstorm options you had not thought of previously. A helpful start would be to reach out to friends, family members, a counselor from school, or other adults you trust and let them know how you are feeling at home. One or more of these people might also be able to advocate on your behalf and help you communicate your feelings to your parents so that your needs can be met at home.

We want to know more about your situation so that we can better support you and help you explore your options. We can best help by phone at 1-800-786-2929 or live chat at 1800runaway.org so that we can talk more in detail about whats going on and what you think you need to feel heard at home. We are here 24/7 to listen and help.

We look forward to hearing from you soon,
NRS

[Guest]

Kind of scared


I want to run away but I'm kind of scared to just take the first steps and actually leave. I have a well thought out plan and I know this is what's best for me. I know that if my parents file a runaway report the police will take me back home if they find me and I'm okay with that. I could easily live on the streets if I need to, but I have a place to go so that won't be a problem. I just don't know how to get over my initial fear so that I can do what's best for me and leave; at least for a week or two.

[ccsmod5]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us, we will help in any way we are able to. We’re always here for you if you need help or need to talk.

It sounds like you’ve given running away a lot of thought, you must be in a lot of pain and stress at home to want to run away. We’re here if you want to talk to us more about what’s going on at home. Your safety is our number one priority. It makes sense that you're feeling scared because it can be really dangerous on the streets. Please, give us a call or chat with us on our website and we can make sure that you stay as safe as possible. We’re non-directive at NRS, so we can’t tell you what to do but we can help and support you. You mentioned that you know of a place to go but we also can look to see if there’s runaway shelters in your area as well.

Again, thanks for reaching out and sharing a bit about what you’ve been thinking about. Please call or chat with us via our website. We’re open 24/7 and really want to make sure you stay as safe as possible.

Thanks, NRS

[Guest]

im scared too i live in texas

[ccsmod3]

Hi there,

It's understandable to feel scared when deciding whether or not to run away. We are here to listen and provide support in addition to hopefully helping you discuss your options. We invite you to reach out to us through our Live Chat so we can continue talking to you about your situation. Click on this link https://na0messaging.icarol.com/Cons...d=254&cc=en-US to get started.

Hope to hear from you soon!

-NRS