17, pregnant, and planning to run away.

[Unregistered]

I am 26 weeks pregnant and my dad accepted it. He doesn't let me work, get a license, or basically leave the house much. A couple of weeks ago I babysat for my boyfriends mom and made about $100. Ever since that he refuses to help me out in any way because he says that i have the money to pay for my own things. He wouldn't buy my prenatal vitamins, which is fine because I had the $40 to get them. Now he refuses to take me to any of my appointments (I've already missed one), and I've got a few problems that need to be checked by ultrasound about once a month. My boyfriends mom offered to take me but he refused.

He has never hit me but my 3 year old step sister and 4 year old stepbrother have both been physically abused by him. He gave my sister a black eye and lashed her back to the point of bruising. They went away for the summer and were safe with their real father but they are coming back this week. Mg father is very aggressive not only towards people but animals too. When he gets mad at a chicken for getting out of the pen for example he punches it to death. Hes done it many times and has Akzo beaten the dogs and cats.

I have someone to take me in and I have everything for why I am leaving planned. We called the local police and told them about the home situation and I told them specifically that I am running away. I have pictures of the house and of the bruises on both kids. Would all of the proof I have be enough to keep me from having to go back and to keep the little ones safe?

[ccsmod3]

Re: 17, pregnant, and planning to run away.

Hello and thanks for reaching out on our bulletin boards.

It sounds like you’re going through a lot right now and we hope you realize neither you nor your siblings deserve to be abused or neglected by your dad. It sounds like your dad has accepted your pregnancy, but isn’t allowing you to get to your appointments. At the same time, it sounds like your stepsiblings have been hit and aren’t safe in the home. Please keep in mind we don’t judge or tell anyone what to do, but we do care about safety. We also recognize that dealing with abuse and filing abuse reports can be scary. You mentioned calling the police; however, we’re not sure whether or not your local Child Protective Services (CPS) are involved too.

That might be the route you’d need to go if you end up leaving and want to help your younger brother and sister. We don’t know your city/state, but there is https://www.childhelp.org/ which is a national organization that can provide help in abuse situations. We’re available to speak more in depth about your situation and hope you decide to give our Live Chat a try to continue. Best of luck!

[Unregistered]

thank you for the advice

I really appreciate you answering my questions and concerns on the subject. I want to ensure that the kids are safe when I leave. If my parents were to clean the house (its absolutely distugsting), and hid anything that might be subject to legal ramifications, would the pictures be enough for child services to get involved? I know my dad and hell do anything for a cover up before they get there.

[ccsmod3]

Re: thank you for the advice

Hello again,


We're glad we were able to answer your questions and concerns on the subject. While we are non-directive meaning we don't give advice per se, we are available to provide basic information and hopefully help you get to a point where you have a few different options that allow you to make what you feel is the best decision. Child abuse reporting can be rough since ultimately it will be up to your local CPS as far as whether or not they'll open a case. Hopefully they would given what you shared; however, we can't be certain. If you decide you would like to try and file an abuse report, please remember we can walk you through that process. If you're able to give us a call we can even offer to call with you. Or, if you aren't comfortable calling in, you're welcome to Live Chat. We hope it works out for you all.