Hi, I won’t share my real name here, so let’s just call me Pinkie. I’m a 16-year-old girl from Location: Alabama looking for advice on my situation. A few months ago, I brought up the idea of starting the emancipation process with my aunt and grandmother. Even though I asked my aunt not to tell my mom, she felt it was too important to keep secret and ended up telling her anyway.
Since then, my mom has made it very clear that as she prepares to separate from my stepfather, she’s only looking for housing for herself and my three younger brothers—not me. Our apartment lease (where I currently live with my mom, stepdad, and brothers) ends in August. My mom refuses to renew the lease and says my stepdad can if he wants to, but she won’t be staying—and I won’t be either. She told me I’ll need to find somewhere else to go.
She also refuses to start the emancipation process until September, which takes 2–3 months to complete. Without being emancipated, I can’t legally sign a lease or get my own place. The reason I’m trying to become emancipated is because of years of severe abuse—physical, mental, and emotional. I’ve been beaten until I bled, stomped on, thrown around, dragged, had my nose fractured by my stepfather, and even had my mother put a knife to my throat multiple times while threatening to kill me. She also withholds necessary things like rides to doctor’s appointments unless I do everything she demands, like cleaning my room after working all day. She’s emotionally unstable and lashes out constantly.
I tried looking into options like Job Corps, but from what I’ve seen, many programs have been reduced or shut down due to recent policy changes. I have a job at McAlister’s Deli about 20 minutes from home, but my mom refuses to take me there—yet still demands money from my paycheck. I only make $11.25 an hour and get about 9 hours a week. After paying for my own food and hygiene products, there’s barely anything left to save.
I don’t know what to do or where to turn. I’m trying my best, but it’s not enough. I’m open to any advice, resources, or ideas anyone has. Even just information on what steps I can take or who to contact would help so much. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Comments
> She told me I’ll need to find somewhere else to go.
That’s not true at all. She’s still responsible for you until you are a legal adult in Alabama.
You aren’t going to be eligible for emancipation unless you’re already living on your own, paying all your own bills. (Most teens can’t qualify.) And you have to be 18 (in Alabama specifically, since the AOM is 19). The reason someone can get emancipated legally isn’t (typically) because of family reasons, it’s because they can afford to live on their own, and are already (functionally) emancipated. In any case, she can’t just abandon you, that’s completely illegal. Where is you father?
Have you thought about about reporting this to authorities like CPS or police?