Helpful Parent Tip Please

[Guest]

I am a parent of 3 daughters ages 9, 4, and 2.
I co-parent with the two youngest daughter’s father for financial purposes. My oldest daughter live with me full time.
a few months back, I was drinking and driving and wrecked my vehicle with my oldest daughter as a passenger. Therefore, I received a CPS case. The CPS case plan has been developed and I’ve been following all the steps to ensure the case gets dismissed as quickly as possible which would be within a 3-6 month time frame.
Recently my oldest daughter been lying and has been put on punishment at home. She decided on her own that she was going to attend a school event after hours, so she locked her bedroom door and jumped out the window and walked to the school which is 20 minutes walking distance.

this is not the first time she has ran away. In the past it would be due to fear of receiving a whooping. This time it was for her own will of doing what she wanted to do.

What are some creative punishments that does not involve whooping that may be helpful in this situation?

[ccsmod11]

Thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline and opening up to us about this situation.

From what you have described in your post, it seems as though your oldest daughter is faced with a lot of stress, whether that be from the aforementioned CPS case or previous lying incidents. We agree with you that whooping should not be used to alleviate this situation, nor should it be used as a punishment in any situation, given that you could be liable for additional CPS charges and could inflict more trauma to your daughter.

We understand the fear and stress you must feel from your daughter walking to school on her own. Instead of a physical punishment, it might be beneficial to sit down with your daughter and have a mature conversation regarding this event. This can hopefully unlock the emotions that both of you have been feeling and lead to a resolution that both you and your daughter could agree on, building trust. It might also be helpful for your daughter to hear how her actions made you feel so that she does not do something similar in the future. Again, sharing your experience and background is a great step towards finding a resolution and we are happy to help you with that journey.

We care about the safety and health of you and your children. You can call us anytime at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or live chat with us straight from your computer or phone at 1800runaway.org if you would like to chat further about how to handle this situation!