QUESTION:
What should I do if I have a friend that ran away from home and they are staying at my house? Should I call their parents and say they are at my house or should I just leave it?
ANSWER:
Having a place for a friend to come to in an emergency is a good thing. If a friend is running away because of a dangerous situation at home(assault, abuse etc), going to a friend’s house is fine but, calls to professionals (police, CPS etc) must also be made.
If your friend just doesn’t seem to “get along†with her parents and they fight often, then running away to your place is only a temporary escape. Teens and parents have always been at odds from the dawn of time, what is important to remember is that this is a normal part of growing up and teens becoming more independent. To have your friend hang out at your place longer than a night is to prolong and delay learning to work out their difficulties with their parents. Part of growing up is also learning to have difficult conversations, learning to cooperate and finding solutions that work for both parent and teen.
Letting your friend’s parents know that she is safe with you is a good idea so they do not call the police or worry needlessly. Try not to get in the middle of their disagreement, but encourage both parties to talk it out together. If they really love and care about each other they can work out their difficulties and learn something valuable in the process.