My 17 year old ran away

[Unregistered]

My 17 year old son ran away on July13th 2012. I am worried beyond anything I can imagine. I am also ANGRY.
I have managed to obtain bits and pieces of his ventures through Facebook (thank goodness) otherwise I have no idea where he is. We have reached out to all the parent of his friends, school, police, that's a joke.
I have also contacted a local agency that will offer us counseling once he returns. My immediate problem is how do I react once he walks back in the door. I am fearful that I will go over the top and yell which will just push him further away.

Does anyone have past experience on how they have handled this.

Thanks You

[ccsmod7]

Re: My 17 year old ran away

Thank you so much for reaching out in regards to your situation. It sounds like you are dealing with a very difficult situation in regards to your 17 yr old son recently running away. You mentioned that you have already done a lot to try and find out where he is at; including speaking with the police, school, friends but that has not been very helpful at this point. It’s good that you have reached out and made a police report so they are aware of the situation. There certainly are a few other resources that may be helpful in this situation if you would like to look into them.

NCMEC (National Center for missing and exploited children): 1-800-843-5678
Website: www.missingkids.com
Available: 24 Hours
*Help with missing, exploited and endangered runaway youth.
*Missing children database which is searchable online by state.
*Helps design and distribute posters nationwide
*Functions as a referral and clearinghouse for information about missing children and exploited children)

Operation Lookout: 1-800-782-SEEK (7335)
Website: www.operationlookout.org
Available: 9am-5pm (PST)
*24 hour helpline dispatch for emergencies and sightings.
*Missing children registry and online pre-registration form
*Active caseworker and search assistance
*Helps design and distribute posters and photos nationwide
*Coordination with law enforcement

Child Find of America: 1-800-426-5678
Website: www.childfindofamerica.org
*Missing Children Registry

It also sounds like one of your concerns is what is going to happen when he returns home and how you will react. It’s understandable that you would be angry and concerned about what you might say. You mentioned that you have gotten resources for a counselor and it may be helpful to get them involved when he returns home to have a third party who could help mediate. Unfortunately there is not a specific answer that is going to work for every situation. Another resource that may be helpful is one run by parents and other family members that have dealt with situation like this. That resource is provided below.

Team H.O.P.E.--Help Offering Parents Empowerment

Hotline: 1-866-305-4673
Website: www.teamhope.org
*Parents can leave a message and the call will be returned if needed.
*Provides emotional support, resources, and empowerment for parents of runaway/missing youth

While we don’t specifically take reports here we also have something called a message service where you would be able to leave a message for youth son and then he would be able to pick it up and have the option of leaving one back or even doing a conference call. It’s an option to try and get communication started between youth and family. Also if you would like to discuss your situation more in depth you can always give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). There is someone available 24 hours a day. We also have an online chat that is available from 4:30p to 11:30p CST. There is always someone available to provide support, discuss options, and even find other resources if needed. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime. All of our services are confidential and anonymous. Take care.