Parenting & Family

Reader Stories: Parents, has your teen ever run away? What did you do?

By Denise Witmer, About.com Guide

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Sometimes teens take off for a few hours to calm down after bad news or a fight with you. Sometimes a teen will leave because they are unable to handle the problems they are having at home. And sometimes teens are defiant and run away in order to be able to do what they want, without repercussions. No matter what the reason, the outcome is the same: Teens are on the streets without the safety of a home and family. Here are experiences and advice from parents who 'have been there'.

Share Your Experiences

Daughter with Drug Problems

She came home when she wanted and then would take off for any little rule she didn't like. The police tend to get tired of looking for your kid and I had no way of keeping her home. One time she just…More

Negative Peers Influence Teen Runnaway

She has been home now 1 and a half weeks. I went through HELL first. Family Reconciliation Services, Drs, At Risk Youth. She has still runaway many more times and with the ARY I put in a pick up orde…More

Sometimes You Can Prevent a Teen From Running

He didn't run away because he realized that all of us around him were there for him. He did not fully understand what had happened, but I was in hospital for 5 months and I explained what I could as …More

Get Your Teen to Call

I was so comforted that my daughter too called me daily telling me she was safe remembering her friend’s situation, and when she finally realized others had work/school a life, she came home an…More

Adopted Daughter Constantly Running Away

We had her in weekly individual and family counseling. We finally admitted her to residential where she stayed about a year. Six weeks after getting out, she ran again just before Thanksgiving. Since…More