I'm 16 in Florida and I want to know if your parents can force you to come back home

[ccsmod3]

Hi, thank you for reaching out. That sounds like a really stressful and overwhelming situation. It sounds like you are being mistreated and abused by your parents and you are wanting to get away from them. It seems like your mental health has been affected by their treatment to the point where you are not sure if you will see tomorrow or not. We care about you and your safety and do not want anything bad happening to you. You mentioned that you do not want CPS involvement for fear that might make it worse, which is understandable, as we cannot even guarantee of what that outcome would be. If you would like to talk more about what you are experiencing or possible options to help, please either call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS

I am 17 yrs old about to be 18 next year and I can’t stand living with my parents anymore they’ve done nothing but hurt me physically and mentally and i can say for once im afraid of staying in this place I want to run away but im scared I might be caught by the police and taken back and things might get worse nothing has happened yet to me physically but they hurt my mental health to a point where im afraid of not being able to wake up the next day or be able to see tomorrow again idk what else to do and I can’t wait until im 18 to move out I don’t want to involve cps in this bc it will make it worse and I won’t be able to since again I have no physical evidence I can provide but I’m scared of staying here much longer…

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like you have gone through a lot emotionally and you are thinking about running away from home. You have the right to want to feel safe at home. It sounds like right now the situation with your stepdad does not make you feel safe at all. It’s not your fault that this is happening. Sometimes it might help to talk with someone.
NRS is here to listen and here to help.
We would be glad to speak with you about strategies or options that might help you to cope better with your situation.
We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more about your situation and we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

You did a wonderful job reaching out today. Good for you.
We look forward to hearing from you.
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to or seek emergency assistance immediately.

Take care,
NRS

Hi! I'm 15 currently, and yeah, I'm planning on running away. I'm planning on staying with a friend of mine up north in another state.

It's more of a backup plan for if things get to the worst case scenario. Essentially, my stepdad is very... "overly-friendly"... at times, and at others he gets extremely angry. I'm extremely suicidal, anxious, and depressed, but my mother insists that I'm faking it and that I don't need my medication or therapy (which it has been proven that as of right now, I do). Pretty much, if it gets much worse my safety is endangered - whether that's from myself or others.

This friend is trusted - they've talked me down from suicide several times and have helped numerous times. I've known them for a year now. (Keep in mind I called the suicide hotline several times beforehand and my friend did better for me)

So, things are quickly approaching the worst case scenario, and I want to know the best way to approach this route. From a legal standpoint and from a physical-mental-emotion standpoint. I understand about the aiding runaways part will cause a fine if caught, but if I can stay under the radar for 2 to 3 years, I should be okay. I'm also already taking a lot of online courses, and it'll be a simple transfer for it (simply go to FLVS or the other states equivilant). The most I would be worried about would be transferring my dual enrollment courses over.

My friend is willing to drive, pick me up and help load my things. I just want to know what else I need to worry about.

[ccsmod15]

Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out to use, it seems like you have been through a lot and its understandable to want to get into a spot that is healthier for you. Generally running away is a status offence. Meaning that it isn’t a crime, but if police found you they are supposed to bring you home. So jail isn’t likely.
There is a chance that those you stay with could face a harboring a runaway charge for letting you stay with them though. Crossing state lines also presents some added risk of federal laws coming into effect if you received help getting through state lines.
There may be other options besides having to run away. Reporting the child abuse is one option, and if you want help with that we can help you file one. You can also try going to childhelp.org for more information on your options and more information.
If you have more questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY or you can live chat with us through our website.

i am 16 and i will be turning 17 in months a lot have been happening abuse and more stuff i just wanted to know if i leave and go stay with my auntie will i get arrested if im in another state like if i am in florida and i make it to louisiana and the law says i can leave home will i go to jail or what?

[ccsmod8]

Hello!

Thank you so much for reaching out, we appreciate you trying to seek help. You mentioned that things at home are tough, you parents treat you differently than your younger brother, and don’t allow you the same freedom. It sounds like you’re going through a tough time right now, and we want you to know that you’re not alone. We are mainly here for support and help find some guidance to local resources that might be able to help a youth through their particular situation and we aren’t here to tell you what to do because you know your situation a lot better than we do. We just want you to know your options and with whatever you choose that you’re safe and not on the streets.

Only you know yourself when it’s time to leave home due to it being an unsafe situation and in turn you have to be okay with whatever consequences that happen afterwards. With that being said, we’re not legal experts, 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. But if you decide to leave your home without you guardian’s consent, your parents can contact the authorities, and your guardians may file a runaway report. Since it’s only considered a statues offense in most states 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. Whoever you end up staying with, may face some consequences with the authorities for "harboring a known runaway".

If you are ever feeling unsafe and not sure where to go, you can text the word safe and your current location to 44357. The organization "National Safe Place" has certain places set up throughout the United States (keep in mind that not all city and states have them) and they will text you back a safe location and a case worker will be out to assist you.

Thank you so much for reaching out, you’re really brave for going through this, and we care about your safety. It’s hard to talk to just anyone one about what has been going on. If you need additional help or resources, you can call us anytime on our 24 hour hotline at 1 (800) 786-2929 or via our online chat.

Best of luck!

Im 16 years old. I have a job and i have an 18 year old boyfriend. At home things are very rough. My parents are overprotective and anything i do is a problem. My brother is 12 years old and goes out and does whatever he feels like doing and does not get any punishment. I am not allowed to go ut unless its with my boyfriend and i cannot go out to the movies or anything by myself but my brother can. There is a lot of favoritism between me and him and they treat me like crap.. I cannot stay in the house with them and my man and his family is willing to help. What do I do? I do not want to stay with them and i do not want to be forced to go back if i do leave. Please help.

[ccsmod15]

Hello,
Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad you reached out. Your question is a really good one and an important one to consider.

Although we are not legal experts, 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. In most states if you are under the age 18, you are not able to legally leave home without the risk of being brought back home. Your parent(s) or legal guardian always have the right to report a minor that has left home as a runaway to local authorities. 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.

You stated that you were thinking about going to a group home and/or shelter in order to not be at home with your mother and grandmother’s house. All shelters have a policy regarding parental notification and/or consent, most happen between 24 hours after arriving to immediately when doing intake. That of course does depend on what policy the shelter has and when they have to reach out to parents. So group homes it might be a little different as they are known to be associated with child protective services when a youth is removed from home. The decision of whether or not you would be removed from your parent(s) care falls on the shoulders of a CPS (Child Protective Services) case worker. Unfortunately, depending on the type of abuse, it would be harder to see and prove so it might come done to whether or not you have any evidence so support your case. If they don’t think there is abuse, they might recommend some counseling services or general family mediation. So that is something to keep in mind when you are planning your future plans to leave home before 18 years old.

Only you know yourself when it’s time to leave home due to it being an unsafe situation and it sounds like you might some specific questions that you want to ask us or maybe find a place to vent about what you are feeling right now. It’s hard to talk to just anyone one about what has been going on. Please rest assured that we are completing confidential. So anything that you share with us will stay between us.

Best of luck!

I'm 16 years old, and I just can't stand my mother. Me, my sister, and my two brothers are staying with my grandmother I hated there so much i think about running away all the time. Just a quick background I have ran away before but was found and taking back to where i lived so anyways I don't think i can take any more of it there so my question if i move into a group home will they try to bring me back to the devils house??????

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for sharing a bit, it takes a lot of courage to reach out. It sounds like your parent's rules and punishments are really frustrating and it makes a lot of sense that you would want the same kind of freedom and independence that other's your age have. We aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if you do opt to leave your home your parents can file a runaway report, which is essentially a missing person report. Running away is a status offense; this means that it isn’t illegal, but it’s something you can’t do while still a minor. If a runaway report is filed and you are located by the authorities you will most likely be returned home.

You mentioned that you have been struggling with depression and really bad anxiety but that our parents haven't been addressing it as they should be. It can be really hard to live with mental health issues and we want you to know that you aren’t alone in addressing them. If you’d like some additional support, an organization that may be helpful is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). You can contact them by calling 1-800-950-NAMI or you can text them by sending NAMI to 741741. Another agency that could be of great help is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), they can help you locate low or no cost mental health care providers in your area. Their number is 1-800-662-4357 or you can go to their site at samhsa.gov.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

Stay safe,
NRS

I'm 17 in Florida and im currently trying to get away from my chaotic home. My dad and mom are always fighting and I have four siblings, My Dad has taken away all of my money and my door multiple times, im sleeping on an air mattress currently because i "can't be trusted" as I went on a Instagram without asking them..... I've had everything taken away from me and I'm constantly being threatened with being pulled out of school. My dad told me that under his house I have zero rights right now, and hes threatened to call the police to take me to jail because I said I didn't want to stay here. I have depression and extremely bad anxiety, and my parents won't acknowledge that, they just think i'm a bad person. I don't know what to do, my mom has had the school counselor place me under "runaway watch" so I cant go anywhere, and I dont know where to go. I have no money, no phone and no plan. Is it illegal to run away, truely?

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what’s been going on, we know that it takes a lot of courage. It must be really hard to live in a home with so much tension. Running away is a big decision and it can be very stressful to figure out what you want to do. We aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if you are under the age of 18 and do opt to leave your home your mom can file a runaway report, which is essentially a missing person report. Running away is a status offense; this means that it isn’t illegal, but it’s something you can’t do while still a minor. If a runaway report is filed and you are located by the authorities you will most likely be returned home.

It sounds like your mom isn’t fully understanding you when you are trying to relay your thoughts and feelings about her rules regarding spending your paycheck. It could be a good idea to work with a local family counselor or have a conversation mediated by a school counselor/social worker, trusted friend, or family member to help clear the air. If you'd like, you can also call us directly and we can conduct a conference call with your mom so you have a safe environment where you can express yourself.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

Stay safe,
NRS

So me and my mom have been arguing recently. It mainly been about her forcing me to go to work. She will not let me take any days off without working another day to make it up ( she usually don't let me do that either ) she is constantly taking money out of MY bank account. I can't spend my money without her permission. I never get to hang out or sleep over at a friend's house for more that a night. She is constantly yelling at me for everything I do wrong. She never congratulates me for anything. Im tired of this i want to know if I can move into a friend's house instead of living here

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Sorry to hear that you’re having problems at home with you grandma.

If you feel that she’s grabbing you in an abusive way, you do always have the right to file a child abuse report.

However, if you think she’s just invading your personal space, you might want to consider asking another adult to step in and explain how you’re feeling on your behalf or to help moderate a conversation between you and your grandmother. Sometimes hearing things like this from other parents or trusted adults can help a grandparent realize that they’re making their grandchild feel uncomfortable.

If you want to talk more, we’re open 24x7 and you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

Best of luck.