Here's What Happened When My 7-Year-Old Decided To Run Away From Home

"Post-pandemic and post-pandemic divorce, my daughter has often 'tested my love' by acting out."

The dangers of reading to your children include that they begin to think for themselves, that their reading comprehension and vocabulary skyrocket, and also that they may reenact the fictional scenarios they encounter. Of late, my daughter has been big into the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. There’s lots to emulate from the tales of Ramona. We learn how to be good sisters, how to accept criticism from peers and teachers, and how to speak your mind to your parents without getting in trouble. And, recently, Ramona inspired my 7-year-old daughter to try something else: run away from home. Ramona declares toward the end of “Ramona and her Mother” that she will run away because she does not feel loved or appreciated. My daughter was likely feeling the same. She is a deeply emotional, sweet empath who feels all the feelings and feels them to their fullest extent. She was mad on this particular Sunday afternoon because we could not go swimming, an activity she loves. I also suspect she was nervous about going to camp for the first time the next day. Deep down, though, my refusal to take her swimming wasn’t what set her off on the road. I think she needed to know she was loved unconditionally.