K2 18 YO UK step-son ran off w/17 YO US girl . . . .

[MaryandMian 1]

if you are thinking of calling the Police please make sure he knows it was done with the intention of beign reassured about his safety and not to get him into trouble as that will only alienate him more.

I agree and this is my concern is his safety. He is penniless and without any ID on him. He needs to let them know he is safe and have a contact number and address of his whereabouts and at least an itinerary of when he was coming home. As a parent we want our kids safe and to know that we can contact them if necessary.

[Peggy 1]

if you are thinking of calling the Police please make sure he knows it was done with the intention of beign reassured about his safety and not to get him into trouble as that will only alienate him more.

I agree and this is my concern is his safety. He is penniless and without any ID on him. He needs to let them know he is safe and have a contact number and address of his whereabouts and at least an itinerary of when he was coming home. As a parent we want our kids safe and to know that we can contact them if necessary.

I agree 100 percent.

[Shari 6]

Thank you so much EVERYONE for your comments, and Perfect, thank you for the time you put into your post and the PM you sent. I will re-read it again when I get home from work. Emotions have run up and down in the past few days, but I think we will be calm when he does come home and lay out the law after having, hopefully, a meaningful conversation.

By the way Mary and Pink_Roses, where in Alabama are you two?

[Shari 6]

UPDATE: Daryl just called his dad (4:30 p.m.). The gist of the conversation was he was "having a fabulous time" and they are "taking walks and talking alot" and "I will see you in a couple of days". Keith did not ask any questions or make any comments. He thought if he starting speaking he would probably say more than he wanted on the phone and maybe drive Daryl away. Funny though, Daryl called and had his number blocked; smart girl teaching him how to do that. Anyhow, Keith feels better knowing Daryl is okay, so I guess Thursday is the big day!

[MaryandMian 1]

Shari,

That is great news and a relief to you both. Now you can breath some easier and maybe Keith can get some sleep. I feel better and will continue to remember all of you in thoughts and prayers.

[perfect 39]

It's great that at least you know he is safe. And he probably has no idea of how he made you feel! It sounds as though he feels like he has found a new reason to be positive and upbeat and perhaps has found a sense of belonging he didn't feel before, and that's a good thing. You may find that he becomes more communicative simply because he feels as though he wasgiven his freedom, without you over-reacting directly to his face and laying down the law with no possibility of negotiation.

I guess you just need to go with the flow however long it lasts and be interested in his newfound reason for being happy and be there to support him in whatever way he needs until he learns he can fully trust in you and his new family arrangement.

You never know, when all said and done, maybe she will turn out to be good for him if you can open a two-way dialogue in the future, perhaps when they both realize you just have their best interests at heart and are not out to simply make onerus rules and be restrictive for no good reason.

Wishing all of you the very best!

[daisy16 0]

Of course you're worried. He is 18. Many 18 year olds can handle responsibility. Most need to be taught how to be responsible. He's 18 and self-centred. Not unusual. He's thinking about himself, not anyone else. He'll come back, where else can he go?

[Peggy 1]

Glad to see that you have heard from your step-son.

Shows that he does care what you two think about him. So thats nice to see.

Perfect may be right. This girl may be just what he needs right now to fit in. Hopefully she is a nice young lady.

I live on the Georgia/Alabama line. I live in Valley, Alabama. West Point, Georgia is on the other side of us.

Were an hour away from Montgomery. Or if you going towards Atlanta. An hour from the airport.

[Welshcookie 17]

I am really glad you heard from him Shari. At least you and Keith can discuss how you are going to deal with this...intial anger always subsides to worry as time goes by....try to get across how worried you were at not being able to contact him at all.

Look forward to the update on the home coming!!

[Kez/JWolf 6]

So Glad you have heard from him... I remember how utterly frustrated I felt when my son was missing... so to know he is ok is good... I hope you both are able to relax a little before he comes home on thursday...

((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))

Kezzie

[flossiefus 0]

Hi

As a mother of a k2 who has returned home, i would just be glad if my son was here in the states. Sadly for us, although to us these are children, in fact they think they are making adult decisions, and if we try to temper it with our wisdom, they dont appreciate it too much.

My thought would be, this young man has many opportunities here, he is at least seeing parts of the USA. My son refused to move from the PC, TV or couch, wailed that he had no friends here, and insisted he was making the right choice to go back. Now if your step-son decided to stay he has every chance of fitting in to life here, but it may take some time. The feeling of being an alien, is a very real one. Not fitting in, finding many new and strange things is quite disturbing even for me, who has already migrated to a new country once before.

An adult conversation of how things are going to improve once he has all the papers, and has settled in may help this lad more than a 'punishment' that serves to reinforce the idea that his family has no understanding of the upheaval moving to a new country entails, let alone the passing from child to manhood.

I wish you all the best, I know how hard being a parent is...

Mother of 4, with 4 beautiful grandchildren

Julie

[Mand 1]

Shari

That's good news, at least you know he's ok and will see him soon.

Amanda

[ChristinaM 0]

Any more news for us, Shari? I've been watching out for posts of him returning home....

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'm sure he will be back after he runs out of money.

[Shari 6]

I'm sure he will be back after he runs out of money.

Well he had NO money, and I do mean NO money, not a cent on him. No money to eat, drink, smoke, etc., so she is having to pay for everything (including that gas from Tennessee to Alabama and back).

And we have not heard anything else from him. Tuesday he said he would see his dad in a "couple of days", but a "couple" might not literally mean 2 days to him. I kinda expect him today, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Thanks all for checking in. I will post when we know anything else.