As a former homeless youth, many families welcomed me into their home and shortly thereafter I became a member of the family. In this episode, I reveal the ups and downs  of growing up in a nonconventional family extending beyond blood and legal relations. This episode also invites critical reflection on the meaning of family. 

This episode invites listeners to reflect upon their own journey of self-love and living in the moment. I tell my story as a first generation college student preoccupied with the hundreds of things that could go wrong. After fleeing from an unsettling experience with my caregiver, I moved back in with my biological mother in a new neighborhood and environment that in my teenage mind was not promising. I subsequently underwent a journey of worry and self-criticism but I eventually learned how to enjoy the simple things in life, like the beautiful smell of corn tortilla and sopa de calabaza. 

Teenagers run away for many reasons. These reasons vary and are not monolithic. But there is one thing for sure: they are running away from something. In my story, I recount why I ran away from home as a teenager and reflect on the intricate social processes leading up to that decision. I conclude with a message on how parents, caregivers, social workers, educators can be more supportive to teenagers.