16 in nevada

16 and Confused

Hi there,

I feel as if I'm in the same situation that many are facing. I'm 16 years old, live in Colorado, and have had a decent past. Just recently (past three months), my parents have mistreated me (no physical abuse), verbally abused me, and overall treated me like I'm worthless. I find myself doing little to nothing at all to set my parents off. It's typically something small, such as me misplacing something in the house, or even forgetting to take the trash out. They get furious. Lately, these little things have gotten bigger such as me denying our traditional religion (Christianity). My dad completely flew off the handle. They have revoked all of my privileges, taken away anything of value to me, and are starting to rip my life apart.

My dad threatens to kick me out of the house all the time. He said if I didn't follow his rules then I might as well pack my bags and get out. Same thing with following his religion. I honestly think he's crazy. My mom blows up and screams at me and my siblings. I can't say anything to her because that'll just result in me getting kicked out of the house too. I have a few places to go, friends that'll let me stay with them if my parents do end up kicking me out. I'm thinking about leaving though, before any of that happens. My parents know that I'm on edge and basically done with everything they have to say or do to me. I have a couple of questions though before I do end up leaving... (this weekend might be the time I leave);

1) If I do end up leaving, will I be forced to return (by police force) even if I don't feel comfortable / safe living with my parents?

2)Will the families' of my friends get in trouble legally if I stay with them while planning/executing the emancipation process?

I honestly don't want to live with my parents anymore... I'm speaking from the desperation and sadness. I don't want to live with this anymore, especially for the next two years. I feel like this is the only way I can possibly move on and live happily. Maybe things might change if I leave, but I'm not for sure.. That's why I've been holding back at the idea of leaving. Also, I've talked with my school counselor and a couple of teachers.. They helped for a while, but it's gotten out of hand. Thanks to my parents and the way the approach situations and end up handling them, and their religious beliefs too, I've been driven to a point of constant unhappiness.

Any help / advice would be nice. I'd highly appreciate it.

Thanks.

[ccsmod5]

re: want to run away

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you are going through a really tough time at this point in your life and we are glad that you are able to confide in us.

From what you shared, it seems like the best option would be to speak to your parents about the situation. Here at NRS, we have a conference calling service where we would be able to mediate a call between yourself and your parents. Our conference calls can be productive, we do not take sides but we rather help explore the options and see what could make the situation better at home.

You mentioned running away, there are some things you might want to consider before you decide to make a decision like this. We are not here to tell you what to do, but rather make sure you are in a safe situation. Here are some things you might want to consider:

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 also will be more than happy to help you through this tough time. Please feel free to give us a call or reach out to us through our chat service system. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do.

Stay strong,

NRS

want to run away

I want to run away with my puppy because I hate my parents and I never want to see them again and im scared of my dad. what should I do???

[ccsmod1]

Re: 16 in nevada

Thanks for writing on our bulletin boards. It sounds like something’s going on at home that makes you scared of your dad. What’s going on? Who else lives with you and your dad? Home should be a place where you feel safe and are safe, so it’s understandable that you don’t want to be there anymore if you’re terrified of your dad. From the little you wrote, it sounds like you’re thinking about running away. Do you feel this is your only option? Have you tried anything else to make home a safe and happy environment for you? What would have to change in order for you to be comfortable staying there? We’re definitely glad that you found our website and felt comfortable enough posting to us.

As far as running away is concerned, if you’re a minor, your parents/legal guardians have the right to file a runaway report with the police. This report gets put into their national database. Depending on the police department and area you’re from, that may be the extent of what the police do as far as trying to locate you goes. Some police departments though will search for you by talking to friends, family, school or tracking records (phone, ATM cards, computer, etc). Generally, when a runaway youth is found they are returned home. Sometimes the youth may be held in juvenile detention or a shelter until their parents can come and pick them up. If the youth is found out of state, they will many times be held in the juvenile detention until the parents can arrange transportation home. Now, if there’s any abuse or neglect in the home, if a youth were to tell a police officer or shelter work about this, they may contact Child Protective Services instead of the parents right away. CPS would then do an investigation and determine if home was safe or not. Running away is generally not considered illegal, it is a status offense, meaning you’re not allowed to do it because you’re underage. The only exception to this would be if the runaway youth were already in legal trouble, then there may be more stringent consequences for leaving.

Running away is a big decision, so we’re glad that you’re really thinking about it. Do you know where you’d go if you left? How would you survive? Meaning, how would you get food, clothes, etc? What about school? Do you think you’d be safe if you ran away? These are all important things to think about before making the decision to runaway. Ask yourself if your plans are realistic too. One other thing to note is that although running isn’t illegal in most areas, harboring a runaway is. This means that any adult that knowingly lets a runaway youth stay with them and doesn’t contact the police, the youth’s legal guardians or CPS, they could get in trouble for harboring a runaway.

We’d be more than happy to talk to you about any of this more in depth. We’re a completely confidential hotline, so you wouldn’t have to worry about us telling anyone you called or what we talked about. If there are any resources you’d like, such as shelters in the area, counseling, abuse reporting numbers, let us know. If you do decide to leave, our number is free from any payphone. Someone is available anytime day or night, so give us a call sometime. Remember, we’re here to support you and help you in anyway we can!

i cant stay in my house. im terrified of my dad. does anyone know any laws about running away in nevada? what can the police do to me? etc. thanks :]