[peppy]

I'm fifteen years old and live in Colorado, and I want to know what would happen if I were to 'runaway.' I really want to get away from my mother, and I've been trying to talk to her about letting me move out but she won't agree. Right now we're living in a bus with no running water or indoor plumbing and soon to be no heat. I have a good job that I make enough money at to afford myself, and the place I want to move into would have a lot better conditions than where I'm at now (electricity, running water, a toilet, shower, access to a computer to do my online schoolwork, etc...). But my mother still won't agree and says that if I go she'll call the police and report me as a runnaway. So I'm wondering, what would happen if she did? Can you report your child as a runnaway even if you know exactly where they are and haven't tried to bring them back? If she did call the cops and they came to get me, where would they take me? Would they take me? If they saw that I was living under much better conditions and doing fine could they leave me there, or would they take me to a foster home or something? And if they took me back to mother and I left again would they still keep coming back everytime? I'm trying to do this without having to result to running away, but if I do it I want to know what I'm in for. I know I can do better on my own, but if it means I'll be hauled off to a foster home or some other place I want to find another way. Also, if I move in with a friend and my mom calls the cops, can he get in trouble for anything, or just me? I don't really think it could be looked at as kidnapping, but is there anything else he couold get in trouble for? Anything would help, as well as other options I can take! Thanks.

(and another note: I attend an online school, so everything is done on the computer and sent in through e-mail, which means I need an internet connection... right now I am paying for my own internet connection (always have) but my mom is trying to move me to a place where I cannot have internet access... thus I can't do my schoolwork. I've pointed this out to her but she says she just doesn't care. Is this illegal? Isn't it required that I attend school? What would happen if she made me go there and I couldn't do school work anymore?)
thanks a bunch!

[Mr. Knowitall]

If you run away from home, it is possible for the state to try to force you to return home, or to place you in a foster home or institutional setting.

[peppy]

and what could happen to the friend i went to stay with?

[aaron]

If somebody violates laws relating to the harboring of runaways, that person is subject to prosecution. So any person who is considering allowing a runaway to stay with them should take care to abide by the law.