Lately my friend has been talking about running away a lot. At first I thought she was joking, but now I don't think she is. I told her she could come to my house if she needed to. She lives pretty close to me, so she wouldn't have to go far. The problem is, what do I do if she does end up having to stay here? Do I call her parents? Do I just let her lay low for a while? I really don’t know what I should do.'

-Anonymous'

Dear Anonymous,

Your friend is super lucky to have you in her life! That is so kind of you to offer her a place to stay if she ever ran away. But if your friend is having problems at home that she doesn’t know how to deal with, it’s not your responsibility to solve them for her.

It sounds like you’ve talked to her about this before. Try letting her know running away from her problems isn’t going to make them any better. If she’s having issues with her parents, then she should probably talk to them about them instead of running away. The problems will still be there when she returns and they’ll probably be worse.

Your friend needs some help and you can’t do alone. Try talking to your parents about the situation and listen to what they have to say. “Mom, Dad, I have a friend who’s dealing with some problems and I really want to help her, but I don’t know how.” Your parents will see you as not only mature and responsible, but as a great friend, too.

If your friend has to stay at your house, definitely welcome her in and make her feel comfortable. But after dinner, you need to have a serious talk about her decision. Try saying, “I really want to help you, but I can’t do this by myself.” Hopefully your parents will help you decide what to do next. If you don’t want to take the blame, have your parents call her parents so you’re not the one ratting her out.

She needs to know whatever she’s going through, her parents love her very much. If she runs away, they’re going to be extremely worried about her and she will have lost their trust. Let your friend know you care about her and her family does, too.

Take care,
L’Oreal

10/15/2007 10:00:23 AM