18 and left moms house, trying to call police

[Guest]

Hello. I turned 18 January of this year and graduated a month ago from highschool. Recently I made the decision to leave- not run away- from my moms house. She has been abusive my entire life and the night I left was the night I decided I had enough of her hitting me. Won’t go into details of what happened that night but my boyfriend ended up picking me up and I’ve been staying with him and his fam for almost a month now. Me and my bf got into a huge argument last night and out of anger and emotion i called my aunt, who lives in another state, to buy me a bus ticket to her house. After calming down I realized that’s not what i wanted, but was going to go anyway UNTIL I found out that she informed my mom that I was going there. After that, I decided I was going to stay at my boyfriends house bc I didn’t want my mom having any idea where i was. My mom got my boyfriends number and address through my old phone that was left at her house, and kept texting his phone asking where I was. We ignored the texts and she threatened to send the police over here simply bc I’m not going with my aunt. My mom has made it clear several times how she feels about me, and i have the messages to prove i. Ever since i moved out she’s sent hateful texts and emails because i ultimately ended up blocking her number. I am not an expert in law but as far as I know since I am 18, not a runway, and willingly came here there is no crime being committed and the police can’t do anything, right? I just need clarification that this is the case. I live in Minnesota if that helps.

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out today. Sounds like you are in a really tricky situation trying to get away from your abusive mom. You deserve to be safe and to be treated with respect. We are not legal experts, but we can answer your question generally.

Yes, in Minnesota 18 is considered the legal age you become an adult and can make your own life decisions including where you live. So your mom cannot file you as a runaway, and you cannot legally be forced home. It's great that you have places to stay. It sounds pretty rough that you had a big fight with your boyfriend last night, and your aunt is telling your mom where you are when you went to her. Please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat us if you are in need of housing resources or if you need a safe place to go. You might also try to reach out to friends or trusted family to see if anyone can help house you or needs a roommate.

That seems really hurtful that your mom is sending you hateful emails and texts. You might have grounds to take legal action to get a restraining order against her if she keeps it up. You might reach out to your local police to see what actions you could possibly take if that is something you are interested in. We can look up legal aid resources for you as well if you call or chat us.

We hope this information helps and we truly wish you the best of luck,

NRS

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