I'm 17 and live in Texas and I want to live with my mom

[Guest]

I'm 17 and I live in Texas with my dad and stepmom. I have a step sister and a half sister and my stepmom treats them like her own and I know that sounds crazy it's just I'm treated like a slave. I have a truck and I was wondering if I left to my mom's would the police make me go back to my dad's?

[ccsmod6]

Thanks for reaching out to NRS tonight and sharing your experiences with us. It sounds like you’re in a really frustrating situation. You indicated that you feel that your stepmom treats you quite a bit differently than your other two siblings, and that it’s reached the point where you’d prefer to live with your mom rather than continue staying with your dad and stepmom.
You mentioned that you currently live in Texas. Do you know what the legal age of majority in Texas currently is? That number can vary from state to state; one way to find out is to visit www.sexetc.org; this resource has a map you can click on to find out what the legal age would be in your state. According to this resource, 18 would be the age when you’re considered an adult in Texas.
While we’re not legal experts, broadly speaking that means the state would still consider you to be under the responsibility of a parent or legal guardian until you turn 18. If you were to leave your dad’s without permission and the police came across you at some point, it is possible that they would try to return you to your dad’s house (family reunification is often the goal, barring there being any threat to your safety/well-being present at home). But there may be circumstances where they wouldn’t look to return you to your Dad’s.
For example: if your mom is still also a legal guardian or has joint custody, you may be able to stay with your mom. Depending on how close you are to turning 18, the local police department may decide to let you stay with your mom if she is able to provide for you and agreeable to you staying there. One way to find out how the police department might handle your situation is to call the local department’s non-emergency line and ask questions anonymously about the situation. If you don’t feel comfortable talking on your own behalf, you could call into our hotline number (1-800-RUNAWAY) and ask one of the liners to call on your behalf. We’re confidential and can help you get those questions answered.
You spoke about your stepmom but you didn’t say much about your dad – have you considered talking to him about how you feel about the treatment by your stepmother? If you felt like having a neutral third party there to help facilitate a conversation with you and your dad and/or stepmom, that is another service that we could offer to you, where we set up a conference call with the other party to help talk through the issues – if that’s an option you wanted to explore, of course.
There may be other options available to you as well – such as legal recourses for minors that a legal expert could help clarify, or alternative housing options. What’s good is that you are asking these questions before you take action, and making a plan – that can go a long way toward ensuring your safety, which is important to us.
We hope you’ve found this information helpful. If you’d like to explore your options further, please don’t hesitate to contact us again or to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. Best of luck to you!