Amanda Decides to Run Away

One day my oldest child Amanda and I had a disagreement. I can’t remember what it was about, but it really upset her. She stormed around the house for several minutes before stomping up the steps to her bedroom. I heard drawers slamming and I went after her to investigate what was going on.

I arrived outside of her door just in time to hear another drawer slam shut and I decided to stop her from damaging the furniture.

“What’s going on in there? Why are you slamming the drawers?” I demanded.

After a few seconds, she yelled back. “I’m leaving. I’m running away!”

“What?” I said pushing her door open.

Across the bottom of her bed was an open suitcase. One of the drawers of her dresser was hanging open. She was taking clothing from that drawer and tossing them into her suitcase, piling them onto the clothes she had already put in it.

That upset me, "Running away?"

The great thing about the situation was that it had started to storm outside; with rain, lightning, wind and thunder. Even the weather was on my side for this plan. I thought, “If she wants to run away, why don’t I help her? In this weather, she won’t get far.”

So I pulled open another drawer and grabbed handfuls of her clothes and tossed them on top of the things that she had decided to take. I took another handful of clothing and added it to the pile. “If you want to leave, I can help you.” I offered.

Just then a flash of lightning lit the darkening skies and a roll of thunder shook the windows. It was done as if on cue. She looked out the window, then at me. She apparently had changed her mind and started to grab the things from her suitcase and put them back into the drawers.

I took another handful of her clothes and threw them into her open suitcase. “You wanted to leave. I’m just helping you.”

“No Dad! No!” she pleaded and kept putting her clothing back into the drawers. I kept forcing the issue by pulling out clothing until she said, “I’m sorry Dad. I don’t want to run away. Stop!”

I stood there for a few seconds and then said, “All right. Put your clothing away and get ready for bed. It’s getting dark outside.”

She had no more complaints and there no more plans to run away from her or her brother or sister.