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Have you ever heard of the “Fight or Flight” response? If you have, you know that humans are equipped with an internal switch that makes them either fight back as hard as they can or run away when they encounter danger. When you get into a fight with your parents and feel a physical pull towards the nearest exit, it may just be another form of this biological safety mechanism.
Before you succumb to the urge, think through what it really means to run away. When you’re young, maybe you ran away to the tree house in the backyard or a neighbor’s house. It probably felt good to get away from your parents and maybe even make them realize how much they need you around. Truth is that scaring your parents is NOT the way to gain respect or trust from them.
Now that you’re older, running away is a dangerous choice. No matter how mature you are, the options for teens in the big wide world are very limited. Once you’re gone, how will you get food? Where will you sleep? How will you get your education? Can you find a job that will hire a teenager off the street?
Once you are away from your parents, you may be free of their rules but you also lose their protection- something many of us take for granted. Unfortunately in our society there are predators out there, keeping watch for young people without any ties upon whom they can prey. Drug dealers, muggers, pedophiles, rapists, members of prostitution rings and many others see runaway teens as the easiest targets for them from which to profit.
Running away from home (and your problems) is never a solution. It will severely hurt those you love- not just your parents but the siblings, relatives and friends you leave behind. You will only be trading in one set of problems for a whole new set. If your home is abusive you need to seek help IMMEDIATELY. If you think your parents don’t understand you or their rules are cramping your style, talk to them or see a counselor. The important thing is to not suffer silently, letting the anger build up. Speak up and IT CAN BE WORKED OUT!
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