What To Do If Your Child Runs Away From Home
The worst nightmare that can happen to a father or mother is that their child runs away from home. When that happens, time becomes stinging and emotions overflow; the worry drowns and it is not known what has happened or why. Therefore, it is important to know what to do if your child runs away from home.
There can be multiple reasons, but in reality it usually happens because the children do not feel loved, respected or necessary for the family. If this happens to you, you will panic and may even have an anxiety attack. But you need to keep a cool mind and think calmly and clearly.
It is vitally important to find their whereabouts as soon as possible and, afterwards, talk about what happened calmly and never in front of other people. It is not an easy task, but it is important to be clear about what to do from the beginning.
Sound the alarm if your child runs away
If your child runs away from home, don’t be ashamed; It is important that the people around you know it so that they can facilitate their meeting. You have to make sure that both his friends and family know that he has escaped. If you think someone knows where they might be, let those people know immediately.
Everyone should be informed to help you search. You can also call your child’s friends. Teens can go to a place where they think it is safe, and they can go from a friend’s house to another friend’s house so they don’t detect you.
Even if your child is not there, the parents of those boys or girls should also know so that they are attentive to any signs that can help you find your child. It is also vital to call the police as soon as possible; the first 24 hours are crucial, so you should provide as much information as possible about where it can be.
Search your child’s favorite places
Your best friend’s house may be a place to start looking, or that of a family member. This is because you will want to escape from home, but at the same time you need to feel safe and secure. In fact, when this happens it is not because he really wanted to get away, but because he needed to think and calm down.
If you cannot find it in nearby places, you will have to think of other places that are also favorites. This can be a place outside, to wait for you to find him while he spends some time alone.
If you cannot find it in these areas, you will have to raise the alarm even more. Get in touch with the school, outside family members, and anyone you think can help you search or find them.
Is something missing at home?
It is necessary that you check your child’s clothes and if something important is missing, such as the laptop or mobile. There are teenagers who impulsively take nothing away. But if your child runs away from home, he may have a plan in his head.
Those who leave with nothing can go to the home of someone they know to be welcomed and try to help them. On the other hand, those who do take clothes, money or other items may be thinking about going further for a longer time. Explain everything to the police so they know how to search.
Check social media and electronic devices if your child runs away from home
Look on your child’s social media, their emails or any other medium where you think there may be clues. He may leave a hidden message or, if he hasn’t thought about it much, give you clues.
You can find a message to a friend that tells the location where they can be. If you think your child is speaking in code in the message, talk to the police to see if they can help you decipher it, or talk directly to that friend to help you find them.
You can also look at the web pages you have visited lately in your search history to find out more. When a child runs away, if you plan, you may have Googled information to better organize yourself.
It is also possible that you can find him through the GPS of the mobile or his smart watch. Use a parental control app to find out where your child is without them realizing you are.
If you do not have it installed yet, it is necessary that you do it as soon as possible to be able to know its exact position when your child runs away from home or when you cannot find him for different reasons.
If he calls you, keep calm
Sometimes the children, when they run away from home, call on the phone. It may be because they regret it, because they are scared to go home, or for any other reason. In any case, you need to stay calm at all times. Do not be angry; your child needs to know that if he returns home he will be safe.
Don’t be critical on the phone or in text messages. Just let him know that you are very worried and that you want to know where he is. You have to make sure that he speaks freely and that it is not abduction and that he is safe. One of the best questions to ask is, “Do you want me to come find you?”
In short, make him understand that his house is his home and that he will always be safe there. That you will be by his side to solve any problem that exists and that, when he is safe at home, he will be able to talk about what happened and why it happened. What matters at this point is that your child returns home safely. And, when it arrives, above all, listen to everything it wants to say to you.
