Hi Friends,

"I hope I can find some answers here. I am at my wits end with my teen daughter. She ran away for the second time just before this last Christmas. Before you ask she is 17 will be 18 next month. She is and adult so can't force her to come home. I don't understand why she runs away. I am a very good parent to her and I am very loving. It concerns me that she runs away from home over very stupid things and to make things worse, she constantly lies about me and her home life.

Being a teen parent, or even a very young parent (my son was born 2 months before my 20th birthday) means that people will assume you don't know anything about your child. They constantly correct, give endless unsolicited advice, pester and try to do the parenting for you. It's completely frustrating. Being young doesn't make you an idiot. I know that I researched, talked to other moms and worked hard to do what was best for my son. I don't need everyone's opinion and advice. When I choose not to follow your advice, don't continue pushing it. I've heard you and felt that I found something that worked better. I probably even tried it.

As far as the teen running away, how do you know she's lying? What are the "stupid things" that cause your fights and her leaving? Teens need a lot more freedom than younger kids. She needs to feel respected and like she has some say in her daily life. She likely ran away to find more control. It's possible she'll come back when she realizes how tough the real world is. If not, like you said, she's an adult. It's time for her to start learning to live her own life anyway.

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Elisabeth, single mama to Isaiah (January 2010)
Simply Walking Through Life