Not getting caught

[Guest]

Re: Not getting caught

i know how you feel, im 16, my mom treats me like s****{edited for language}, she yells at me says that she wishes id die, that i was never born. my brother has hit me and left bruses on me and ive told but no one believes me but the few friends that i have. i smoke, i drink and do drugs. i use to cut but i stoped. my bf is 19 turning 20 and he heard about my brother leaveing a bruse on my side when he pushed me into a metal table, ive was sexually abused from age 8 to 12, when my mom found out she blamed me....i know how you feel, and soon when i have enough money i will be leaveing too, i hope your life gets better soon. it hurts not being loved by your family..i know how it feels alot..the only problem is my cat..i dont want to give her away and i cannot and refuse to take her back to the animal shelter, so the only problem im haveing is how to take her with me. the guy i was dateing is my fiance now, so it just adds more stress because i want to leave sooner and so dose he...i hope your life gets better, because i know mine wont. not as long as i live in this hell hole..just believe in yourself, trust your future and know that you are not alone in the world.

[ccsmod0]

Re: Not getting caught

Thank you for sharing your situation. We are glad that you contacted us and so sorry to hear all that you have been through. It sounds like it is hurtful to hear from your mom that she wishes you were never born along with your brother being abusive to you. It sounds like you have experience a lot and it takes great strength to reach out to someone.

You had mention that you have been abused and that no one believes you. That must be difficult to feel that they aren’t taking you serious. We do not define what is or isn’t abuse, however you are welcome to contact Child Protective Services (CPS) for assistance. Their main job is to keep youth safety. You can make a report with them to and/or anyone that knows of the abuse can make are report on your behalf (friends, relatives, neighbors, your boyfriend). It is also might be good to document any of the abuse by keeping a journal of the time and date, pictures, medical records and who the abuser was at that time. This will help build your case. You can contact them at 1800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453) or view their website for more information: http://www.childhelp.org/. You can also talk with Justice for Children for any assistance. They are job is to protect you from any abuse, provide legal information and be a support of you. You can reach them at 1800-733-0059 or view their website at: http://www.justiceforchildren.org/.

No one has the right to hurt you and everyone has the right to feel safe at home. We are sorry to hear that home hasn’t felt safe to you. You can also contact RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network). They assist with any sexual abuse that you have endured. You reach them at 1800-656-HOPE (4673) or view their website: http://www.rainn.org/index.php.

It sounds like you have thought about leaving, but just not sure what to do with your cat. It is understandable that you would want your cat to be safe too! Do you know where you might go if you were to leave? Here are some other things to think about before you leave (this is directly from our website):

• What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave?
• What would make me stay at home?
• How will I survive?
• Is running away safe?
• Who can I count on to help me?
• Am I being realistic?
• Have I given this enough thought?
• What are my other options?
• If I end up in trouble, who will I call?
• When I return home, what will happen?

We do not tell people what to do or what not to do. However, we do explore options and process through the situation. We also help with providing local resources/referrals, conference call with your parent/legal guardian, shelter and/or other social service agencies. We are a 24/7 confidential, anonymous crisis line. You are welcome to call anytime and we look forward in talking more with you! We can be reached at 1800RUNAWAY (786-2929). Please be safe and we wish you the best!

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Re: Not getting caught

Im 17 and will be 18 in four months. my parents and i fight constantly and sometimes it turns physical. its not a healthy enviornment. im currently staying at a friends house becasue my parents had the cops take me to a shelter last night, and because it was voluntary, i left. my paretns have reported me as a runaway. my school starts up next wekk, and i am getting the paperwork together to file for emancipation,
i was wondering if id still be a runaway once i file for the emancipation and am waiting for my court hearing..

[ccsmod7]

Re: Not getting caught

Thank you so much for writing in and giving us a little information on your situation. You mentioned that you are currently 17 but want to file for emancipation. At this point you are not staying at home but rather with a friend and that you are listed as a runaway. It sounds like things at home have been very difficult and we are sorry to hear about the constant fighting between you and your parents, even to the point where it has gotten physical. You mentioned that you don’t feel it’s a safe environment and it’s understandable that you are having reservations about staying there.

Have you ever spoken with your parents about wanting to be emancipated? How do you think they would feel about that? Have you ever told anyone about the situation at home or ever reported when any kind of physical abuse occurred?

We are not lawyers here so we are not able to answer any specific legal questions. Emancipation is a court procedure and in most states to start that process you must file a petition with the courts. You mentioned that when school starts you are going to get the necessary papers to start the process. Have you already looked into the emancipation laws in your state and/or spoken with a lawyer? That could be a possible option if you wanted to learn more about the process and what the specific laws are in your state. You also mentioned that you will be turning 18 in four months. In most states the age of majority, when you are considered an adult, is 18. One thing to keep in mind is that the emancipation process may take some time and it may be important to ask how long, because if and when it goes through you may be 18 already. We cannot answer the specific question in regards to still being considered a runaway if you have filed for emancipation. In most cases if a person has not been granted emancipation, they are probably still considered a minor and under the care of their guardian.

If you wanted to discuss your situation more in depth you can always give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We are a completely confidential hotline and available 24 hours a day. We are not here to tell you what to do but rather to listen to the situation, discuss options, and even find resources if needed. If you decided you wanted some legal resources in your area we can help with that as well. Best of luck and remember you can call us anytime 24/7. Take care.

[Djep]

I hate where i live.. I hate being home.. My parents do nothing but put me down.. I have a boyfriend whom I love very much though and he's pretty much the only person I have that supports me at all... But I want out.. I don't want to live here anymore. I seriously want to runaway, but my parents would have the cops looking for me, pretty much doing anything they could to find me if i did run away. I am just barely 16, my birthday was dec. 8th. My boyfriend doesn't want me to go anywhere and wants me to wait a year or so and then live with him, but my parents would never let me do that willingly and would most likely have him thrown in jail if they could. I'm not happy living here, i'm crying all the time, i'm extremely depressed.. Help.. What should i do?

[ccsmod10]

RE:

Hello, and thanks for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Switchboard.

It sounds like you’re going through a really tough time lately. You state that you hate living at home, your parents put you down, and your boyfriend is the only person you trust right now. You also say that you want to run away, but you believe your parents would report you to the police if you left home without permission. You go on to say that your boyfriend feels you should stay at home and wait until you are old enough to move in with him on your own terms. Meanwhile you are struggling with your emotions and feel extremely depressed. In the end, it sounds like what you are looking for is help figuring out what you should do.

This is a very difficult situation, and we’re glad you decided to contact us. We do not give advice, however. Our goal is to help people stay safe as possible, while working together to figure out a plan.

One option you have considered is running away. If you were to leave home, have you thought about where you would go? Another question you might consider is how you will survive – do you know where you will find food and shelter?

Another option you are looking at is staying at home. If you were to stay at home, can you think of any ways that might make your life there less difficult? Some people have tried talking to a person they trust – a friend, partner, family member, pastor, or counselor. You’ve said your boyfriend is the only person you trust to talk to. Can you think of anyone else you can turn to for support?

You always have the option of continuing this conversation with us by calling us any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-800-RUNAWAY (800-786-2929). Our volunteers are here to talk, and to help. You can also chat with us online, right here via our web site at www.1800Runaway.org – just click the big red button between 4:30pm and 11:30pm (Central time), Monday through Sunday.

We wish you the best of luck. Take care of yourself, and feel free to get in touch with us if you need us.

~NRS