by Barbara Scruggs

Created on: March 06, 2007   Last Updated: January 19, 2008

Run Aways

Why do children run away from home?

Well there are many different reasons that a child may run away from home.

Some children run away because of abusive parents. But not all children run away because of abuse. Some children run away because things our just not going their way.
In other words these children that are running away are not all running away for the same reasons.

While many children may run away because that they have abusive home environments some don't.
In fact I would say that many abused children do not run away because that they fear what will happen if they are caught.
It is my opinion that it is more likely to be children who are spoiled and suddenly not allowed to have something they think they need.
These are the children that are more likely to run away in my opinion.
Can parents prevent children from running away or make it less likely that a child will run away?
I think that yes, sometimes a parent can. But not always.
I think that if a parent can keep the lines of communication open with their children then their child may be less likely to run away than a child that feels no one is listening or that no one cares.
Also it is extremely beneficial for a parent to know who their children's friends are and who they are hanging around with.
The reason why is because people are influenced by who they hang around with. Even adults are influenced to some extent by who they hang around with. So it stands to reason that a child will be influenced by who they hang around with.
If you can get your children involved in something that you can also be supportive of for them it is my opinion you are less likely to have your child try to run away.
When a child runs away from home it is hard on the whole family and can be very dangerous for the child.

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