Why young people run

Child Abuse

Some studies say that as many as 90 percent of the youngsters who leave home do so because of child abuse - they have been physically, sexually, or emotionally hurt or taken advantage of. Youngsters who are abused are sometimes afraid to tell anyone.

Some fear they will get their abuser in trouble or will be hurt even more, some are embarrassed; some may have even been told they deserve the abuse. Sometimes leaving home can seem like the only answer.

Family Conflict

Common to almost all families of runaways is a breakdown in communication. Kids start to feel no one listens to them and their opinions and feelings are not important or respected.
Every family experiences different pressures and has different ways of coping with them. In some families, the stress creates unbearable fights; in others, family members become silent. Either way, a youngster may feel alone, unloved or unwanted.
Separation, divorce, death, a new stepparent, a new baby, financial worries, a move - all these create strains between family members. At times, adjusting to the change can be particularly difficult. Many youngsters who run away complain about difficulties getting along with stepparents, and of feeling left out in the new family or unsupported by their own parents.

Parental Problems

Some parents find it difficult to cope with their own lives. Some do drugs or drink to escape. Others have psychiatric problems. In either case, the situations they create can be difficult for a youngster to cope with. They can make kids and other family members feel hurt or embarrassed. At times, they can be dangerous.

Family Responsibilities

Sometimes kids feel responsible for taking care of parents or brothers and sisters and can get overwhelmed. Parents under stress at times depend on teens to be adult-like. Some kids feel the only way to ease this burden is to leave.

Unrealistic Expectations

Some parents hold hard-to-achieve expectations for their kids. Feeling pressured, these kids believe their only relief is to leave.

Difficulty Letting Kids Grow Up

At times, it's difficult for parents to help their kids become adults. Deciding what decisions are appropriate and what rules to enforce is no easy task. Some parents fear their kids may make wrong and dangerous decisions. In turn, kids feel the only way they can grow up is to leave.

Youth's Personal Problems

Peers and school are very important to young people. If they have difficulty on either front, they might look for an escape. Some get depressed and withdraw. Others turn to drugs or alcohol. Still others run away with the hope that a new place will make things better and they will find new friends who will accept them.