14 and sick of the family

[LadyZ]

So I'm 14 and I live in Connecticut and i was wondering about what would happen if I ran away. I've been thinking about it for a while now and I didn't want to do it without being fully prepared. Can someone help me?

[ccsmod8]

re: 14 and sick of the family

Hello and thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you have a lot going on at home that is making you want to leave. Have you talked to anyone else about how you are feeling? It can be difficult to talk to people about what’s going on and we’re glad that you found us to talk to. Have you ever run away before? It seems like you’ve been thinking about it for some time and want to think it through all the way before you go.

To answer your specific question, as a 14 year old, your parents or legal guardians do have rights and responsibilities of you. We aren’t legal experts, but we can tell you that in most places running away is not against the law but is instead considered a status offense. What that means is that if your parent/guardian were to file a runaway report and you were picked up by the police, you would be returned to them. Laws can vary in different cities and states, so if you want a specific resource you can contact us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY or from 4:30-11:30pm CST through live chat on our website, 1800runaway.org to help you. You are certainly not alone and we hope that we can be supportive to you. Hope to hear from you soon.