14 and wanting to runaway, will my friends parent be in trouble?

[Guest]

I'm 14 (will be 15 soon) and emotionally abused and neglected by my mother. my friend said their mom would house me if i ran away, but im worried shell get in huge trouble. i live in mississippi and i can't take where i live anymore

[ccsmod6]

Hello and thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear that your mother is treating you in such a hurtful and inappropriate way. It is good, however, to hear that you do have a friend who cares enough to let you stay with them during this difficult time for you. It isn’t illegal for you to run away. You won’t get arrested for it. However, if you are staying with someone, your mom could potentially try to get them arrested for “harboring a runaway”. We are not legal experts, but our understanding is that this is typically considered a misdemeanor offense treatable with a fine. Additionally, the police would usually be allowed to force you to return home. If you want to talk about your situation more or what other options there might be, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-786-2929 or chat us at 1800runaway.org.


Take care,

NRS

[Guest]

I’m also 14 years old and will be turning 15 soon (January) and I’ve always wanted to run away. I’m not getting abused or anything it’s just, I wanna be somewhere where my mom won’t be yelling all the time. Somewhere where people won’t have to laugh and judge me because of my body & height. I just wanna be free.

[ccsmod15]

Hello! Thank you so much for reaching out.

To begin with, you mentioned that you want to run away, because you want to be somewhere where your mom doesn’t yell at you, and people don’t judge you for your body and height. You’re really brave for reaching out for help, and we want you to know that you are not alone. We aren’t legal experts, but if you decide to runaway on your own without your guardians approval, they may file a runaway report with the authorities and whoever you end up staying with, may face some consequences.

In the same way, you stated that you wish people didn’t make fun of your weight and body height. It must be really hard for you to deal with that kind of situation, but know that we are a judgement free zone, and you may reach out to us anytime if you wish to talk further about this matter. If you encounter bullying online, an option to explore would be to set your account on private, or see limit the amount of comments people may leave on your file.

We hope that you can seek help from these options discussed, and want you to know that we care about your safety. You’re really brave for going through this difficult time in your life. If for whatever reason you require additional assistance, or want us to make a call on your behalf, feel free to call us at 1800) 786-2929. Best of luck!