What would you do?

I ran into WalMart and saw a "Missing" poster it was of a 14yo boy who had been missing since yesterday morning. My heart sank! Whose wouldn't? I can't imagine the heartache the parents msut be feeling.

As I was leaving I wanted to look better at the boys face and catch his name. The poster was GONE! I went back in to ask the "greeter" about the poster. My immediate thought was it was "against rules" to post anything in that area. I wanted to look at it again. She told me he had been found!!!! He showed up at school that morning! YEAH he is safe!!!!!!!!!

He snuck out on Saturday night and went to a friends house. The friend's parents were out of town (the kid was THIRTEEN!). I don't know if he was with siblings or what, but goodness! ANyway, the parents had grounded him so he decided to leave and sleep over an his friend's house. (YEAH he is safe!!!!

So back to my question what would you do? I mean seriously, you ground your son and he ups and leaves in the middle of the night. Then non-chalantly shows up at school the following school day. (so he is gone 2 nights and a day. How do you act? Gut reaction would be (for me to never let him over at that friend's house. Ground him till he is graduated from high school. Yet, at the same time you are SO incredibly happy he is SAFE and not dead or gone forever. You are giving thanks to our loving Father. How would you react/act?

This could be a good parenting tool for me, seriously! WHAT do you say to that child?

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Side note, when Iw as a senior in high school a friend and I went dancing with a group and instead of driving home I stayed at her house. I called home and left a message with my BROTHER, instead of waking my parents. Stupid move! That led to 6 weeks of grounding. He didn't tell my parents. So when I woke up the next morning at 10 am at my friend's house it was to her parents telling me mine were on the phone. I didn't think anything of it, until I heard the tone in their voice. It was MY FAULT, even though I HAD left a message so they knew where I was. Moral, talk to the adult, not the older brother.

Of course I know better, now, as a parent myself.
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Comments

Marilee said…
Sheesh! That's a toughy. Well I would definately keep the kid grounded for the first thing and then ground him longer for sneeking out. Then if there were expenses made in his behalf for his safe return, I would have him pay it back (to learn a lesson). All at the same time as letting him know that you LOVE them and try to help them understand that rules boundries are to help keep us happy and safe. Hopefully, this won't happen to us.
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