Running or Walking Away--What Does it Really Accomplish?

Most kids at almost any age probably fantasize about running away from home. I can remember as a youngster under teenage years, getting upset at my parents for something and wanting to get the heck out of Dodge. On one occasion I recall putting a few items in a towel and tying it to a broomstick and walking to the front door and saying "I am leaving and never coming back". I was unhappy about something and immediately thought that my first option was to walk out the door and leave home. When I was growing up I was unable to walk to school, walk down the block to a friends house or anywhere for that matter until I was 12 years old. Even then the only places I was allowed to walk by myself or with anyone was to junior high which was only a few blocks from home or to my grandparents who lived behind the junior high school. My allowable radius was pretty small even by California kid standards.  I only recall threatening to leave a few times and after reflecting figured I was better off right where I was. Growing up in a time when you feared your parents and what they would do to you if you misbehaved doesn't seem to hold true today.

I didn't actually leave the comforts of home until I was almost 21.  When I could actually leave home I never looked back. I was an adult, making money and departed at an appropriate time frame for me. Even at that age, it was a scary, sometimes unforgiving experience.

Today, on social media I have seen no less than three young people who have for whatever reason left home.  Obviously,  we don't know the whole stories of these people but it has definitely worried their parents.

One time when my kids were little we were in a chain department store shopping with a friend.  I had always instructed the kids to keep a hand on the cart while we were walking so that I knew where they were. Well they decided to leave as I was getting something off a shelf. When I turned around they were gone. Of course I freaked out but my friend had them within eye view. "Hang back so they can't see you" she said.  When they realized we were not around they raced back and never attempted to sneak away again. Several times the incident has come up in conversation as unforgettable moments.

You might at the time think you are hurting your parents or whoever is a part of the reason you are running or walking away from something.  Today, no matter where you live be it large city or small towns--it is a scary, unpredictable world out there where sometimes a quick decision you make can effect the rest of your life.  Social media can be a pro or con in making a bad situation worse or jumping to conclusion but my hope is that a bad situation can turn into a life lesson learned for these young people.