South Texas

[Unregistered]

i am a 16 year old girl, perfectly capable of protecting myself, and i need to get away. i can't breathe in this place. i feel like my parents are suffocating me. (metaphorically) i have tried to talk to them about loosening the reins but it always ends up in a fight. i cant take it anymore. please... i need to get out. i know someone who would take me in but, i ont want to get his family in trouble. what do i do?

[ccsmod0]

RE: South Texas

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. Wow, it seems like you’re going through a lot right now and that you’re feeling pretty overwhelmed. It sounds like your parents are really putting a lot of pressure on you to follow their rules. When you’re not given your own space, it can be really hard to feel happy in your home.

Although we’d love to tell you how best to solve your problem, we can’t do that. You are the one who knows your situation the best. How would your parents react if you left their house? Although we aren’t legal experts, we are able to talk about consequences in general. If they file a runaway report, and you interact with the police, the police could return you to your home. Obviously this depends on the state you’re in and even the local police department. Also, your parents have the right to press charges on the people you are staying with. “Harboring a runaway” is a crime and the family might be punished. If you want some more specific information on all of this, you can call your local police department.

We hope this information helps you in making a decision. We are not saying that you should or shouldn’t run away, but this information may be helpful. We’d love to talk through some options that you have and provide you with some resources. Have you thought about calling us? If you want, you can call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are available 24/7 and are anonymous and confidential. It seems like you’re going through a tough time right now and we really wish you the best of luck.

We look forward to hearing from you,

NRS