if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

[ccsmod8]

RE: jj

Hello –

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public bulletin board. From your post we can see that you have very similar questions to a lot of our post here and you’re looking for some answers. You have stated that you have ran away from home and that you are now staying at your aunt’s house for the time being. It’s understandable that you don’t want to go home because you might feel unsafe there or you might be currently fighting with your mother and you feel more comfortable with staying with your aunt. It also sounds like your aunt doesn’t want to mess things up between you and your mother.

Have you tried talking to your mother about what has been going on with you and your feelings? If you don’t feel like that is something you feel comfortable with doing, we can surely try to help you with that communication with you and your family. We offer a service that is basically a Conference Call where your parents, yourself, and us would be on the phone talking about what has been going on. This way there can be a mediator in between keeping things calm and productive. How do you feel about that? You could also do something similar between your aunt, your mother, and yourself all sitting down and talking about what the issue has been and why you don’t want to live there anymore.

If you give us a call on our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help you find resources in your area and could potentially help you brainstorm a solution to the issues you are having. We also have an online chat service available every night from 4:30-11:30PM CST that is available through our website (www.1800runaway.org).

[Unregistered]

help

One of my friends ran away last night. I was wondering what would happen if she isn't found within a week. And I'm really scared for her because she ran away in an area where animals get dangerous at night

[ccsmod1]

RE: help

If you have contacted NRS today through another means (for example, live chat, email or bulletin) for the same issue, it would be helpful to let us know that you have already contacted us. NRS understands it takes courage to reach out for help; therefore, we would like to minimize the need for you to repeat your situation and avoid offering you duplicate services.

[Unregistered]

hi

If I run away when I'm 18 can my legal guardians do anything about it?
Please respond (: thanks.

[ccsmod14]

Re: hi

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you have some questions and we’re glad that you contacted us, we’re here to help as much as we can.

So we’re not legal experts here, but generally speaking in most states the legal age of an adult is 18. This means that if you were to leave at this age, a runaway report would not be accepted if it was attempted to be made, because you are legally able to decide where you live. For some youth, this is not as easy as it may sound because they may be dependent on their family or whomever they are living with financially, emotionally, etc. If you were to leave home, do you have ideas of where you would go?

We’re just here to help keep you safe. If you are set on leaving and need a place to go, you can call us any time and we can go through options and if need be, try to find you a local shelter.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS

[Unregistered]

runaway help

Im 15 an my mom hates me and i hate her she hits me and chokes me and calls me a ********** and whore i don't no my dad and my family does not like me and says that wish i was never born people at school yells at me and calls me stupid and ugly i cut myself and want to die i am really depressed i ranaway 1 to my boyfriend an his mom tuck me home the next morning she hit me and told me if i leave that she would call the cops on me and send me to juvenile im pregnant now and don't no what to do or where to go

[ccsmod6]

RE: runaway help

Im 15 an my mom hates me and i hate her she hits me and chokes me and calls me a ********** and whore i don't no my dad and my family does not like me and says that wish i was never born people at school yells at me and calls me stupid and ugly i cut myself and want to die i am really depressed i ranaway 1 to my boyfriend an his mom tuck me home the next morning she hit me and told me if i leave that she would call the cops on me and send me to juvenile im pregnant now and don't no what to do or where to go

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It takes great strength to reach out for help and share what you are experiencing. You mentioned that you have been mistreated and called names by your family and others. We can only imagine how painful it is to endure all that you have. We are here to provide you support and help as best as we can. You mentioned that you have been mistreated verbally and physically; it is your right to be in a safe and supportive environment. Child Protective Services (CPS) is an agency that helps ensure the safety of children by providing resources to families and children going through difficult times. You can make an abuse report with CPS on your own or with our help if you were interested. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 is a national hotline with information and resources regarding child abuse/neglect. You do not deserve to be mistreated in any way. If you are able to call our crisis line at 1-800-786-2929, we are here to listen and to help make a report if you wished to do so.

It sounds like your situation is overwhelming and affecting your mental health. You mentioned having depression and expressed wanting to end your life. If you continue to have the thoughts of taking your own life, please reach out to the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Your safety and well-being is priority and there is support for you through these challenging times. You also mentioned that you cut yourself. To Write Love on Her Arms (www.twloha.org) may be a helpful resource for you where you can gain support from others going through similar situations as yourself.

Regarding your pregnancy, we are not sure if you have resources that can provide support and guidance, but Planned Parenthood (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/) may be a helpful resource for you. There are several services and programs that you may benefit from.

You mentioned that you don’t know where to go. We care about your safety and well-being and can help explore some options that will ensure that you have a safe place to stay. Please know that you are not alone in this. We are here for you. We hope to hear from you soon and wish you well.

Please stay safe and take care,

NRS

[Unregistered]

abuse not safe

Im 10 an i have a 2 an 1 year old brother my mom gets abused by her boyfriend an her boyfriend hits us when she gets mad at us she locks us closets one day my baby brother broke sum an she threw him in a tub full of ice water he almost drowned her boyfriend sneaks in my room at night an touches me i try to tell my mom but she says im lieing i want to runaway and take my brothers with me i promised them that i would do somthing

[ccsmod11]

RE: abuse not safe

Hello,
Thank you so much for reaching out to NRS to help out. It sounds like you and your brothers are in a very scary situation. We are so sorry to hear this is going on in your home. No one should ever have to go through what you and your brothers are going through with abuse from your mom and her boyfriend. You seem like a very brave young man and it is so great that you are trying to protect your little brothers. It sounds like they really look up to you as their older brother!
You asked if your mom can call the police if you run away. Your mom CAN call the police if you run away and she can file what is called a “run-away report”. This is mostly for your safety and if the police find you they usually will return you home. However, here at NRS we are mandated reporters for abuse and neglect. If you ever feel as though you want to report your mom and her boyfriend for abuse/neglect, we are always here to help out with that. I know this all might sound scary to hear, but NRS is here to help you get through these hard times and talk through what is going on in your home. If you feel comfortable, please call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We are open 24/7 and are confidential.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Stay strong…

[Unregistered]

hi

im a 18 yr old girl (recently turned 18 on the 23 of june) and i am tired of my parents kicking me out of the house and yelling at me! we have a lot of problems ! my boyfriend is 20 years old and i was thinking on moving in with him! can my parents call the cops on me even though im 18? will i cause him and his family problems with the law? im from waco tx !

[ccsmod8]

RE: hi

Hello there –

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. From your bulletin post to us here, we can see that you have very similar questions to a lot of our callers/posters and you’re looking for some answers. It seems like there must be a lot going on in your life and at home right now that your considering leaving your home. Sounds like there are some big issues that you're going through, namely that your parents keep kicking you out of the house and yelling at you. We are here to help you in any way that we can.

Like we tell a lot of our callers, the laws on that specific subject of running away vary from state to state, so our advice would be call your local non-emergency police number to get more information on that. You could ask hypothetical questions that they can answer for you. Generally what typically happens in each state is if you are below the legal age of majority (18 in most states except Alabama and Nebraska [19 or upon marriage], and Mississippi [21]), your parents or legal guardian would be able to make a runaway report in the event that you do run away. Since it’s only considered a statues offense and not a crime to run away, the only thing that would happen is that the police will pick you up and bring you back home. This is of course if you had any interaction with the police directly or if they stopped you to ask you a few questions.

You have stated though that you are planning on moving out to live with your boyfriend. Still you are 18 years old and based on the information above, there isn’t much that your parents can do to keep you at home. Once you reach the age of majority you are considered a legal adult and can no longer be listed as a runaway or forced to stay home. Therefore, calling the cops on you and telling them that you have ran away isn't something that the police are going to take down as a report.

[Unregistered]

Help please.

I've had a bad relationship with my parents for a long time now. And its just been getting worse. They tell me they're tired of me and can't wait for me to leave. They call me names and say I'm not gonna be anything in life. I know I make my mistakes and make bad decisions at times but they just take it to a whole another level and just aren't reasonable. They say they want me out cause I'm just a huge bother. Today they got so mad cause I didn't clean their restroom and they told me to get my stuff and go. Just get my stuff and theyll take me where I tell them and leave me there. Yet they say if I leave they'll call the cops on me. They're telling me to leave but they will call the cops on me if they do. I don't understand what the hell they want. I mean I know they're tired of me. They've made it clear. But I dont wanna get in trouble with the law. I have a friend and her mom knows about my situation and she said she would take me in. I'm 16 and I turn 17 in 4 months. I just wanna leave cause I'm tired of being treated like this and being miserable, I want to be happy. But I don't wanna get a record either. So can I get in trouble if I do leave?

[ccsmod3]

Re: Help please.

Hello there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you've been going through a lot and are at a breaking point. We're very sorry to hear you've had such a bad relationship with your parents and we imagine it's quite frustrating. It sounds like your parents are also sending you mixed messages since on one hand they told you to leave and on the other they are saying if you do leave they'll call the cops.

We aren't legal experts here; however, there are often risks with helping a run away and you mentioned you don't want to get in trouble with the law. Running away itself is often just a status offense, but harboring a runaway may be considered a crime. So it's possible if you go to your friend's house her mom could potentially get in trouble for harboring you if your parents file you as a runaway and police pursue your case. If you'd like more information, you (or someone you trust) could always reach out to your local law enforcement. To answer your question generally, most of the time a runaway just gets returned home if they are picked up and haven't committed another crime.

Please know we are here to further discuss your situation and encourage you to call or Live Chat. Good luck!

[Unknown]

A 14 year old in serious ponder about leaving

I know you may have already answered this question many times in the past 8 years.

I am 14 and I want to leave my mother's house. I don't have anywhere to go guaranteed, and all my stuff is here. She often talks about waiting til I become 18 so she can "throw my dumb@$$ out and not have to worry about minority laws". She usually gets really mad at anything I do, whether it is small or not even a problem. My sisters can trashtalk more than me (not that I outright trash my mom) and not be punished, or go off with a warning. I say (example) "I don't want to play with my sister (we were playing UNO and she was purposely being a douchebag)" and I am still on punishment to this day. She always says that I start stuff and a string of curse words come out. I want to leave, but I don't know where. Also, I want to stay at the school I will be going to next school year. So I don't know whether to bear it out til 18, or leave.

[ccsmod1]

RE: A 14 year old in serious ponder about leaving

Thank you for reaching out to us. We’re so sorry to hear that the situation with your mom at home has been so difficult. It sounds like it’s been difficult to know how to behave at home so that mom doesn’t get upset with you. You touched on a few different topics in your message, so we’ll do our best to provide you with information. It sounds like you’re on the fence about leaving home, but you’re not sure about when you might want to do it. It’s absolutely your decision whether or not you leave home, but we want to be sure to provide you with information that might be helpful in making a decision.

You mentioned running away as an option you might consider. Running away is not illegal, it is considered a status offense (similar to a traffic violation). If a youth leaves home without legal guardian consent, the legal guardian has the right to file a runaway report. Depending on where you live and how your local police department approaches runaway situations, that may involve the police actively heading out to search for you, or they may just take the report and that will be it. Generally, if the police do find you, they will return you to your home unless there is a safety concern.

If you decide that leaving home is something you’d like to do, where you go really depends on what you might be comfortable with. If you’re comfortable with it, you can reach out to us by phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we can help you identify resources that might be able to assist you. It sounds like you’re still on the fence regarding leaving or staying until 18. If you feel you’d like to talk with someone about making that decision, we’re here to provide you with as much information as you need to make an informed decision. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime, we’re available 24/7 for whatever you might need. Best of luck to you.