my step mom hit me. i need to leave. im about to be homeless and im so scared but yet i cat find the courage to leave. i need to leave so why cant i do it
Help Yourself:
- Wow that sure does seem like a tough spot to be in! Thank you so much for trusting us at TeenCentral to help point you in the right direction.
- Take a big deep breath and slowly let it out. Now take a moment to think about your options. A great resource is Child Help USA National Hotline. You can visit them on their website or by calling 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). If you are too nervous to speak with someone, consider messaging the Crisis Textline by texting the word HELLO to 741741. Representatives are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can also visit our blog in the What’s New section of our website called “Getting Help for Abuse on Your Own”. This has some great resources and information about exactly what you may be feeling right now.
- Is this the first time your step-mother has hit you? Is your father aware of this? If so, what does he do? If not, have you tried speaking with him about this? If he isn’t aware of this happening, it is very important you let him know. Do you have any siblings or other family members that you could go to for support? Someone that you are comfortable with and feel you can trust. Making the adults around you aware of the situation can help you significantly and provide you the comfort, support, clarity, and safety you need.
Consider This:
- There are tons of resources right in front of you that you probably don’t think of when feeling so overwhelmed and scared. Not only can you talk with your father and/or other family members, but you could also find help and guidance at your local library or community center. At your next doctor appointment, you can ask for information and resources in your area from your doctor or even from your guidance counselor at school.
- Consider writing down what happened from beginning to end. This will help to create a timeline of events for you and aid in deciding what to do next. This can also assist you in processing through what has occurred.
- Phone a friend. Pick up that phone and phone a friend or family member that you can talk to. Having an outsider’s perspective of this whole situation can help you very much and they may be able help you organize your thoughts on what you should do next.
- On our website we offer a lot of resources and information to help in situations like these. Take some time to scroll through our Learn page and Tools tab. Here you can read all about Making Hard Decisions, Support Planning, and Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships. When you are done there, go on over to the What’s New and Stories sections where you can read blog entries about many different topics and read through other’s stories and their responses from TeenCentral. These entries may help you weigh out your options and make some tough decisions.
