Help

[Unregistered]

Hi.
I am 17 and I live in Texas. I am wanting to move out. My mom is threatening to report me as a runaway. I want to know if it is legal for me to move and if she can force me to come back with her?

[ccsmod9]

Re: Help

Thank you for writing the National Runaway Safeline. We’re here to listen and here to help. Sorry to hear that your mom is threatening to report you as a runaway if you choose to move out. This must be upsetting for you and a bit scary.

In Texas, the age of majority is 18. This means that your mom is your legal guardian and that she can in fact file a runaway report if you chose to leave. When parents file runaway reports, this puts the youth’s information into a police database nationwide. Running away is a status offense. A status offense is something that is illegal to do based on a youth’s age. When police find youth, they usually return them to their parents, provided home is a safe place. For those people who help runaways, they can be charged with harboring a runaway.

Have you considered emancipation? This offers a legal means for you to leave home and prove to the courts that you can take care of yourself. Here is a little about emancipation in Texas:

http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/texas-legal-ages-laws.html

If this is something that interests you, you can also find a legal aid lawyer near you using this website:

http://texaslawhelp.org/

While leaving home has consequences, it is up to you. You know your situation best—and you know whether you can wait until you turn 18 or whether you would need to leave sooner. If you would like to talk more and make plans about leaving, please do call us or chat with us.

Best,

NRS