Running away.

Tia is a bit of work. She consistently makes bad choices, but something about her makes me really like her.

One day last week, the librarian called to report Tia had short shorts on - way too short. I had her come and talk to me...she seemed genuinely incredulous. She is about 5'3" and weighs about 90 pounds. Somebody tell me where this girl is going to find shorts that AREN'T short! The dress code calls for a 3" inseam - where (outside of the plus-sized section at Montgomery Wards) can you find a 3" inseam anymore??

Tia got involved with another student who had been forwarded a naked picture of a male student (you've heard of sexting, right - well it's REAL) and proceeded to print 300 or so copies of it and scatter it around school. Seriously, Tia - how did that seem like a good idea?

She is friends with students who help her make stupid decisions and her parents, generally good people, are highly unimpressed. Recently, teachers have been calling home letting her parents know she has been tardy, talking out in class, and being a classroom distraction. Her mom, who has two little kids at home, has been very annoyed by her behavior and they have been at odds - a lot.

This morning, she came into my office, slumped in the chair, and started crying. She went from zero to can-hardly-breathe in about 3.2 seconds. When she calmed down, she spilled it: she hadn't been home since Friday. I asked if her parents had been trying to call her cell phone. She reminded me they had taken that away a long time ago. She said when she got to school this morning and her friends said her parents had been to their houses as late as one in the morning on Saturday morning. I asked who she had been staying with and she said no one - she had been sleeping outside. I told her we naturally need to call her parents. She said she knew.

She told me her mom was yelling at her last week, saying she was a huge problem and  that she wished she wasn't around. I assured her that parents may say hurtful things in frustration, but I cannot imagine what her parents must have been going through in the last few days, not knowing where she was or whether she was safe.

I placed the phone call and her mom picked up before it rang a full ring. I let her mom know she was in my office and she said, "Oh, thank God. We will be right there." When we hung up, Tia started crying again and telling me she just wanted to be at school. I told her she looked absolutely exhausted and she needed to go home and go to bed!

They arrived at school in a seeming impossibly short time, since they live clear on the other side of town. Her mom was in tears, her dad looked exhausted. They fell into a group hug that choked me up!

Everyone has a story about threatening to or "actually" running away as a kid. Our family folklore has one of us running away, but coming back a short time later since we weren't allowed to cross the street. Unfortunately, Tia's parents have a running away nightmare to remember, rather than having a cute story to tell around the dinner table for years to come.

Is ANYONE really prepared for this parenting gig?