Running away from home...
By patgalca
@patgalca (18181)
Orangeville, Ontario
May 2, 2007 12:12am CST
I am just getting around to finishing reading Saturday's newspaper. In it there is a column called "Teens Talk About..." This week they were talking about running away from home and why they did it. They seem to think that, even though they went back home, it was the right thing to do for the situation. The situations were anything from a physical fight with stepfather to a parent refusing the teen to go to a friend's house. They felt they were justified in running away from home - some staying away hours, others months. But they also realized how worried and upset their parents were while they were gone.
Did you ever run away from home as a child or teenager? Why did you run? How long did you run away for? Where did you go? Was it worth it?
If you are a parent, have any of your children ever run away from home? Do you know why? How long were they gone? How did you feel when they were gone? Did you call the police? Have they done it more than once?
My daughter packed her bag and left one day when she was just a little girl - probably 5 or 6 years old. She got as far as the spruce tree on the neighbour's front lawn. LOL! But as a teenager she did walk out when we refused to drive her to go rent a movie. She said fine, she'd walk, and she did. After a long time I got worried and went looking for her. I found her making her way back home. She realized she couldn't rent a movie without any ID or membership card. She needed an adult with her. We never talked about it. I just picked her up (she got in the van willingly) and brought her home. We did not rent a movie. I don't know what I'd do if she disappeared for days on end. I know I'd be phoning all her friends' houses looking for her.
What are your stories?
6 people like this
8 responses
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
2 May 07
I haven't run away on my own accord before though I have wanted to quite a few times. I didn't for various reasons. I was forced out of the home when I was young before though. Guess I was too mischievous then.
@Perry2007 (2229)
• Philippines
11 May 07
During my freshman in college I remember running away from home because a sister scolded me for not heating water in the morning before she wakes up... duh... I went to a classmates place not very far from our house for about two days, then one of my brother came fetch me.
Sometime in life perhaps things happen to teens like that, I don't have any child so, God spared me the trouble of feeling worried about child rearing.
@patootie (3592)
•
20 May 07
I packed my little suitcase .. I took my favourite toy and a comic to read on my travels .. I walked 'miles' that morning .. right up to the main road at the end of our little avenue .. (well okay it was about a quarter of a mile) .. then I burst into tears as I was lost .. didn't know which way to go ..
Our kindly postman took my hand and as he worked his way down the avenue posting all the letters in folks letter boxes he chatted away to me .. we got to my house and mum hadn't even missed me .. I'd been gone no longer than 10-15 minutes .. but it had seemed like hours ..
I got a good hiding .. told to stay in my room .. and punished for days .. and how old was I when I ran away .. all of 3 years old ..
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
5 May 07
I got lost once, I did not run away but my father assumed I had and he really gave me a spanking when the police brought me home. Because of that, I was too scared to try anything new because I always felt that something bad would happen to me. Because of what happened to me, I was too lenient - so bad was my recollection of that childhood incident. I left the correction of my children to my husband because that incident still hurt. By the way, my father had a razor strap and it really hurt. It was not a slap on the behind or using a switch. I probably had bruises and I was five at the time. Had I not been beaten so badly, I might have been more courageous. So if you talk to your children and don't punish them too harshly, you are doing the right thing.
1 person likes this
@twils2 (1812)
• United States
8 May 07
When I was 14 and 15 I ran away a few times. I think looking back that I was a real troubled teen. My dad took off when I was 9 and we ended up living in the projects and I blamed my mother for everything that went wrong in my life. I cant even begin to tell how sorry I am for all that now. But I was just a real bad kid, I guess I'm glad I grew out of it. Take care!!
@BarBaraPrz (45609)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
2 May 07
I never ran away from home, mainly because I couldn't think of where I would run to... Early in my marriage, I felt like running away but figured I'd have to change my name, and I didn't want to do that.
1 person likes this
@huggiebear22 (2007)
• Canada
15 May 07
When my sons were young liek 5-6 they all threatend to run away because they got in troubel and were being punished which that night was they were not goign to be allowed to sleep out side so told them if it is so bad then they can go so they did to the end of the driveway and then they realised that the world is bigger than they thought and came home. We had a talk abotu why they were beign punished and why they had to be that day we made soem in roads and lasting bonds that are still there.
I have had some of there friends runaway to my place when things were too tought at their place. I let them stay but talked to them about what they were doing and expalined the position they were putting me in. After a while and soem talking they phoned home and were able to work things out.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
16 May 07
I never ran a way from home, but I was an exchange student, which is tantamount to running away from home and not getting in any trouble for doing so.
When my oldest was about two he 'ran away'. I had just pulled up in the drive after work and commute, it was very warm, and he was stripped to his nappy and barefoot. He decided he wanted to draw in the drive with his new chalks and I said no, and deposited him in the garage, told him he could draw there, and he started in with a massive tantrum.
I got the mail, went to the bathroom, checked the messages, and suddenly realised the house was silent. I went to look for him and he wasn't in the house, garage, garden, wood sheds, anywhere! I ended up ringing the emergecy number and a squaddie was sent out. In the meantime I jhad banged on my neighbours door and she had rounded up the other neighbopurs and they were combing the street for him.
The worst part was that we lived every near a 4 way intersection on one end of the street, and a t section at the other end of the block, and 2 blocks away was a day care center with a lot of children making a lot of noise.
We had no idea which way he hafd gone, if someone had grabbed him, if he was already hurt, and couldn' hear anything because of the other children yelling and playing.
My neighbour found him at the end of the block sitting on a flight of steps sobbing. She brought him back to me in her arms, covered in tears and snot. He was fine, and was gone for all of maybe 15 minutes but they were the most frightening of my life. He doesn't remember the incident, but he has never done anything like it since!
