My daughter is 15 and runs away overnight without letting me know where she is going. I know she drinks alcohol ...my husband yells at me for crying and then goes fishing... I am so alone... I am trying to have faith but I have no one to talk to you... I am feeling so isolated, lonely and depressed.
My Out-of-Control Teen
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4 comments:
You can not lock them in.
As much as you would like to build a wall around them, it is their choice whether or not to walk out the door. The phrase I use, "There are no bars on these windows, and the doors only lock people out." This is harsh, and I know it, but it also very much the truth. As a parent I can be a safety net, a tool box, and an emotional punching bag, but I refuse to be a chain. I do not want them to ever leave. There is nothing that they can do to ever make me want them to go. My teens know this because I tell them verbally and non verbally.
I haven't meet a teen yet who didn't know of someone's experience of running away. This can be a real problem, considering most teens will glamorize the experience.
Teens who run away are not bad.
They have made a bad decision. They got themselves caught up in pressures that they felt the need to escape from. Instead of facing their problem and solving it, they chose to run from it. We need to teach our teen how to face their problems, even if the problem is us. When they have the right tools to fix some of the things that may be going on in their lives, the pressure lessens, and there is no more need for them to escape.
Call the Police, IMMEDIATELY!! Don't wait 24 hours, do it right away. Ask investigators to enter your child into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Persons File. There is no waiting period for entry into NCIC for children under age 18. Get the name and badge number of the officer you speak with. Call back often.
Call everyone your child knows and enlisted their help. Search everywhere, but do not leave your phone unattended.
Search your teens room for anything that may give you a clue as to where he went. You may also want to check your phone bill for any calls they may have made recently.
Call the National Runaway Switchboard 1-800-621-4000, you can leave a message for your child with them.
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