Most families who force their kids to leave are no
longer interested in raising their children. The parents of
throwaways do not want to deal with the challenges
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involved in caring for their child. They may be unwilling
to accept their child’s sexual orientation, or they may simply
feel unable to control their child’s behavior. Some parents
who are financially disadvantaged may no longer feel
able to raise their kids. They believe they cannot afford to
provide their children with food and shelter, so they want
them to leave and fend for themselves. According to Lois
Lee, executive director of Children of the Night (an organization
based in Van Nuys, California), “Often we call a
girl’s home and her parents will say, ‘No, she can’t come
back.’ Sometimes we even get calls from parents who want
us to take their children from them.”10 Situations such as
these only add to the growing number of children and
teens who are living on the streets.
Some parents actually abandon their children, who are
left to fend for themselves indefinitely, sometimes in a
new, unfamiliar location. Luree Nicholson of L.A. Youth
Network reports one teen’s story of abandonment: “We
stopped at a gas station and I went to the bathroom. When I
came out, they were gone.”11 This type of situation often
results in the teen turning to the streets for survival, since
he or she no longer has a family to depend on, even for
minimal support. For teens who are abandoned by their
parents, as well as those who are throwaways or push-outs,
the future looks grim. With no love or support from their
families, they often come to believe that living alone on
the streets is the only answer.