I'm 16 in the state of Texas, living with my aunt and uncle, and I want to move out.

[Guest]

hello, i'm a sixteen year old junior in high school in the state of texas. i currently live with my aunt and uncle, and i genuinely hate it here and i want out of here as soon as i can.
i have lived here with them since February of 2015, and ever since then my aunt has been extremely emotionally abusive and at times can be physically abusive, but that's not very often. my mother and father passed away that year, and my mother gave my aunt and uncle LEGAL consent over me, but they haven't adopted me or anything of the sort.
my cousin's said that they are 100% okay with me moving in with them and allowing me to live there until i graduate high school in May of 2020. ever since they told me that this past Tuesday, i keep wanting to take up the offer and go with them.
however, i know for a fact that my aunt and uncle would never consent to such a thing. but it's what i truly want. I'm not happy here, every second i'm here it just drains me emotionally and it's taken a heavy toll on my mental state and i don't know how much more of the stress that my aunt gives me that i can take.
i know about getting emancipated, but i just want out of here as soon as i possibly can be. i can't wait 4-6 weeks for a court date because my aunt would make my life a living hell up until then.
please help. i don't know what more i can do.

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like you are in a very difficult situation, and we are happy to help in any way we can.

You mentioned that your aunt is emotionally and sometimes physically abusive. It is never okay to deal with abuse of any sort and no child deserves that. If you are ever interested in filing an abuse report, Child Help is the National Child Abuse Hotline. Their phone number is 1-800-422-4453, and their website is childhelp.org . These calls can be very hard to make, so if you are considering filing a report and want extra support, you can call us here at NRS and we will make the call with you. Our phone number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are a 24/7, toll-free helpline, and we are here to make that call with you whenever you would like. If you ever feel as though you are in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1.

You said that your cousins welcomed you to move in with them. That is great that you have supportive family members who want to help you out. It must be tough to know that you have that option but that your aunt would not allow it. If you have anybody who both you and your aunt are close to, sometimes it is helpful to have that person sit down to help guide a conversation. This way you have someone there to support you with stating your need while your aunt would feel that it is a neutral person. If you cannot think of anybody like this in your life, we offer a conference calling service here at NRS. To utilize this, you would call in here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), talk to us a little bit about your situation, and then we would call out to your aunt. After talking to her for a few minutes, we would connect the call. We would stay on the line to ensure that your conversation stays productive and compromise-driven.

If you do not feel like this would work in your situation but you are still hoping to move out, here are some things to keep in mind. Your aunt could file a runaway report with the local police department. We are not legal experts, but our understanding is that it is not illegal to run away, it is just considered a status offense, meaning something you cannot do because of your age. The age of majority in Texas is 18 years old, so after you are 18, you are viewed in the state as a legal adult and can live where you choose. Since you mentioned that your parents gave your aunt and uncle legal guardianship of you, they would need to give you their consent for a different living situation. If you are found by the police as a runaway, our understanding is that police will try to return you home. In some scenarios they might take you to their station to see why you ran away, and they might schedule a case worker to come to your home, especially if you mention previous emotional and physical abuse. You can also call your local police department to see how they handle a runaway report. If you would like to do so anonymously, you can call in here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), and we are happy to make that call for you.

If you would like to talk through your options further, feel free to call in here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are a 24/7, completely confidential, toll-free helpline, and we are here to talk through any questions you have and make an actionable plan that you are comfortable with. We’re here to listen, here to help.

Best of luck,
NRS