Why Teens Runaway

Briony Tilt
The purpose of this text is to inform families about the dangers of running away.

WHY TEENS RUN AWAY
February 24th, 2013
Written by Briony Tilt
Many people often wonder why teens in a perfectly happy environment choose to run away from the safety of their homes and families. Of course, it is often families that are the problem.
Many young teens decide to leave home during the ages of even as young as ten or twelve. In most cases, there is a legitimate reason for the fleeing and if the child is found, action is taken to prevent the child from living in an unsafe environment.
1 in 7 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away at some point, says Kidshealth.
Different perspectives sometimes make it hard for the parents and the child to see eye to eye, most teens feel as if the parent does not understand or listen to them or what they are trying to say. In almost all situations, the teen runs away because they don’t want to face something.
There are two ‘types’ of running away. Teens who use chronic running away, use it to get their own way or to lash out or as a form of escape and keep repeating the offence whenever a small argument or problem occurs just to get their own way. “Kids who threaten to run away are using it for power”, says James Lehman.
Episodic running away is when a teen does not continually run away, but usually only once as to not face a certain situation or to hide something that they cannot bring themselves to tell or face.
Running away can be triggered by something very small. If an argument revolves around something very important to the teenager but with little concern for the parent, the situation can be viewed as extremely unfair and the teen may feel ‘strangled’ in the environment. This can cause them to leave so they can ‘do what they want’, not what their parent wants or what they think is best for their child. “It’s essential for parents to try to be realistic about why the child is going and not just blame them”, says writer, Stephanie Dowrick.
Often the cause for leaving is a disagreement with a family member, however serious, or to hide something out of shame, such as substance abuse etc. Other reasons include physical, sexual or emotional abuse, divorce of parents, peer pressure, or even things such as failing school can trigger running away.
Simple restrictions to a teen’s wishes can create the idea that running away from home is ‘better’. Many kids also feel like their parents just don’t want them. Most of the time this is not the case, unless they are possibly abusive etc. There is ‘no way out’, for some teens.
A lot of the time running away is glamorised to look much more exciting and fun than it really is. There are no restraints, no rules or guidelines, free choice. After a while lack of money, food, or a place to stay makes running away a lot less exciting than it is thought to be. Unless the teen is staying with friends or relatives, running away is rough and most teens aren’t prepared for that kind of environment.
Creating a safe atmosphere and making your child feel comfortable in your home is most important. If your son or daughter fears an outburst at something they have done, i.e. failed a subject, fallen pregnant etc - they may try to avoid the situation. Make sure that your child knows they are welcome at any time of the night or day.