THE RUNAWAY
HOW NOT TO DRIVE A TEEN AWAY
A parent waits and waits for the door to open, for a text message or a phone call to say, “Hey, I’m okay and I’ll be home soon”. It doesn’t happen. Child gone missing. It is always disturbing when a child decides to run away from home. This article will shed some light on why teens may run away and how to prevent it from happening in the first place. Or ever again.
Nudged by grudge
Teens hold grudges more than usual. It is part of their psychological adjustment during puberty. Many teens are more sensitive to scolding and yelling. They may take this to heart and if it occurs repeatedly, they may not see their home conducive to them. Hence, they may run off and will probably turn to their friends for help. They will see their friends as sources of comfort and most likely continue to hang out with them.
The running away
Don’t forget, in running away you need three things: the ability, the willingness, and the opportunity. And let’s face it, teenagers full of zest have the opportunity and ability to run every day — so all it really takes is the willingness to do it. That willingness can develop for a variety of reasons. It could be a stressful situation the child is under, a festering family problem, a fear of facing consequences for something they did, a form of power struggle, not wanting to go to school, or a substance abuse problem. Whatever it is, he is running away from something, not just the physical home.
Idealised view
Another factor that can strongly influence teens to run away is their idealized view of life on the streets. Running away will give them a sense of freedom that they never had back home. They feel like an adult. Although it is unlikely that most teens will run away for too long given their limited resources. However, if the feeling of resentment back home is strong, they may try all ways and means to not return home. This can be dangerous, as they may be lured into gangs and engage in illegal ways of earning quick money.
Every avenue of conciliation and conflict resolution should be pursued to hopefully prevent a young person from running away again.