Just need answers

[Guest]

So I am 16 and 7 month and these past few months my mother has been so rude and all she’s been doing is yelling at me. From what I see, my mother seems to just hate what I do. Even asking my mother how she is doing is resulting in me getting yelled at for no reason. And I’m not sure if it’s me but lately she’s been making me feel as if everything’s my fault and ends up almost using my depression as a joke by being like “ why cuz if your depression “ as if it’s funny. Sadly I can’t talk about how I feel because when I do she gets even more upset with me and I don’t know what to do. I want to have a voice but she won’t allow me to. I don’t want to live with my mother nor my father. Also I don’t want to live with another family. Like to be honest, I just want to be on my own. I’m not going to pull something and run away but I just needed to express myself and possibly get answers. I’m planning on moving out when i turn 18 but she is saying that I can’t live with my father or by myself at the age of 18 while I’m in school.

[ccsmod6]

Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. We are so sorry to hear about how things are going at home. It sounds like you and your mom are not getting along well right now, and it is understandable that you are feeling hurt and frustrated.
It sounds like you are thinking through different options of how you might be able to move out on your own. We aren’t legal experts here, but we are happy to weigh-in based on our experience. In terms of moving out before you turn 18 years old, in most states you are only allowed to do that legally with a guardian’s permission, as they get the final say on where the youth in their care live. So, if your mom is your guardian and gave you permission to move out, then you’d be able to do that no problem. If she is your legal guardian and won’t give permission, then you wouldn’t be able to legally make that switch, unfortunately.
That said, in some states, youth may have an option to file for emancipation through the court system, which if approved, would make them their own legal guardian. This would mean that the youth could make their own decision about where they live. This can be a long process (sometimes one year or more), but if you are interested in learning more, we’d be happy to help you look up legal aid resources in your area to get additional information.
And when you turn 18 years old, in most states, this means that you are then able to determine where you live (even if you are still in school). This does vary state-by-state a little bit though, so those legal aid resources could also provide that information for you.
If you’d like to talk about any of these options in more detail or still have questions, we are happy to connect via our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-786-2929 or via chat at www.1800runaway.org.
Best of luck,
National Runaway Safeline (NRS)