I might run away any tips?

Question

im in the heart of brooklyn so it can be dangerous and it would be hard to hide since the people here are like nocturnal, my dad is strict as h**l and i tried to move back with my mom and brothers and sisters but by law i cant til next year. i hate it here and im used to peaceful neighborhoods in jersey, he recently signed me up to a ghetto school which i will NOT go to, he even said he wil force me to go, is there any way by law i can get back to jersey? if not i guess ill just run away.

Answer 1

I don't suggest running away.  That could turn out real bad for you.  Do you know how many people go missing every year?  It's a lot.  You might disappear and then never reappear.

    

  I don't know the laws for certain but when I was a kid I was told that I didn't have any say over my custody until I was 12.  And at 12 they let me move to my dad's side of the family.  Maybe that was just my state though.

      

Think of what you might gain if you just did the best you could with the situation you're in.  If you spend the whole time angry and hating then you'll waste a year of your life.  But if you face it with a sense that you are stronger than your situation, then you can grow from this.  Be like the grass that grows through the concrete.  It doesn't transplant itself.  It just decides that it will thrive even in a place where it's not meant to be.

Answer 2

Please don't run away.  Suck it up until next year...it seems like it's forever but it's really only a few months, right?  

See if you can speak to a counselor at your school (or church if there's one locally) about what's going on at home.  They may have some other options for you.

Another choice would be to file an emancipated minor declaration and see if your dad will sign it.  That makes you legally responsible for yourself (right now it's your dad who is responsible for you.)  He may not want to sign it but if you give him enough grief, he may change his mind.

Children of the Night is a runaway hotline/rescue service and they may be of help to you as well:  www.childrenofthenight.org.

Best of luck to you, and hang in there, ok?

Answer 3

bro im not gunna sit here and tell u i know what youre going through causae i dont, but i know thats gotta be tough

but look,i have friends and ive seen things on tv and everywhere and theyve said running away was the biggest mistake of their lifes. u cant make a living u cant feed urself. u have no money, most of them get addicted to crack or some drug and become druggies and what not. if u run away u have that the rest of ur life u have those problems and those troubles, but in only one yr ull get to go live with ur mom,its just one short yr man, its either a life on the street or a yr with ur dad

Answer 4

Find out what the law is in your state, because where I live in Michigan you can run away at 17 legally, and the police will not come looking for you. However in my state 16 is where you can legally be emancipated, which basically means you're set free of parental control. But in order to do that you have to go through a court process, it might be around $100 dollars to file a petition, you'd probably a lawyer hired for you for free, but the court process could take months. You're better off finding out what laws your state has on when you're allowed to just leave. However, still look into emancipation because then you're more likely to get housing aid, college financial aid, food stamps, etc.

If you don't have a job, get one. Whether you're going to get emancipated or just run away you'll need to support yourself. A judge won't emancipate you if you show know way of supporting yourself i.e a job. Out of all the jobs available to people under 18 I'd say waiters/waitresses make the most. I just started as a waitress and we usually make about 60-100$ each in tips per shift. Get some money saved up! You will need it.

Hopefully everything works out. Remember only to do this if you need to, but it sounds like you have a good reason. I definitely understand what you're going through, and although I thought about leaving home all the time I never really did until things got VERY BAD, so if you have the opportunity to leave (but also have a good plan on how to support yourself and not get in trouble with the law) then do.

EDITED:

Why don't you call the court of your county and ask if there's any way (because of your age) that you'd be able to go back to New Jersey. Make sure you explain to them what's going on and ask for their help/advice!