It’s every parent’s greatest nightmare: you wake up in the middle of the night to find your child missing. Your heart starts to race, and you go into panic mode, calling her friends, family, and the cops.
Whether your child has run away or threatened to run away, or you are concerned that she could, you must read this essay. James Lehman has spent a lot of time working with runaway youths, and in this new EP series, he discusses why kids run away, how to stop them, and how to deal with their conduct when they return home. There are underlying difficulties that can lead to a child or teen running away. Don’t forget that fleeing is just like any other activity. You’ll need three things to succeed: the ability, the willingness, and the opportunity. And, let’s be honest, kids have the opportunity and ability to run every day all they need is the will to do so. For a variety of causes, that willingness can emerge. It could be a stressful circumstance your child is in, a fear of punishment for something they did, a power struggle, a refusal to attend school, or a substance abuse problem.
Another aspect is that children often romanticize the process of fleeing and develop a romanticized vision of life on the streets.
