16 and wanting to leave home???

[Unregistered]

Hi, my friend and I are both 16 and we live in Wisconsin. I'm posting this for my friend. My friend really really wants to leave home but doesn't want to get in trouble. Her house is one giant train wreck. Her whole family (mom, dad, and 2 sisters) doesn't get along at all and they are constantly yelling and fighting. It's been like this for years but lately it's been a lot worse. Her parents will yell at her for anything she does wrong (ex. She'll forget to do laundry and her parents and sisters will freak out and yell at her). Some nights she'll message me while she's crying and hiding in her room because of the fighting. Her parents relationship is on thin ice and they have threatened to divorce each other multiple times. I hate seeing her stressed out and crying over all of this stuff. She has talked to her mom about moving out (or at least being able to leave while the fighting is happening) but her mother said no. She wants to know if there is any way she could leave and not get in trouble? My mom said she can move in with us once she gets a job and can help pay for things. My mom and I don't want to get in trouble for allowing her to stay with us though. Can her parents report her as missing even though they know where she is? Can my mom and I get in trouble with the authority? Will the authority make my friend go back to her house? Please answer as soon as possible, thank you so very much. (P.s. My mom and I have known her family for around 12 years, so it's not like we're complete strangers, we actually only live a few blocks away)

[ccsmod5]

re: 16 and wanting to leave home???

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your friend is going through a pretty tough time at this point in her life, she is very lucky to have you in her life. From what it sounds like, your friend is having a pretty tough time at home and is ready to leave.

We want to start off by letting you know that we are not legal experts here, which means that we are only able to speak in general terms about your situation. In most states, if your friend was to leave home at 16, her parents would be able to file a runaway report. If she is found, typically she would be forced to return home. Running away isn’t necessarily illegal, it is a status offense which means she is not able to do it because she is a minor. Another factor to keep in mind is harboring a runaway, basically what harboring a runaway is letting a youth who ran away from home stay in your home. In this case, your mother could be charged, the charges for that can vary from fines to jail time. As I mentioned earlier, we are not legal experts here, if you would want sturdier and accurate answers, please feel free to reach out to your local police department and ask some general questions. If something like that makes you nervous or are afraid to call, please feel free to reach out to us and we would be able to make that call for you.

We hope that we were able to let you know a little more about what we do and explain our services. We want you to know that our lines are open 24/7 and we can be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you soon.

Stay strong,

NRS