There are ways to force your child to return. This site will not relate to them, because those methods are not always advisable.
Your child is very sensitive at this time. Forcing the child to return may cause him to take undesirable actions, ranging from tantrums to suicide.
After all, the child is trying to prove a point. Although you may prevent him from expressing that point of view in the manner that he has chosen, his point of view remains.
A child whose need to express his feelings has been thwarted may attempt a different method. That method may be even less socially acceptable.
Keep in mind that you cannot determine the mental stability of your child after he has left home. As a result, your preconceptions, previous conceptions, or preliminary conceptions of his behavior may no longer be valid. Your child has changed!
You may be taking a great risk by forcing such a child to return home.
Chasing after the child or taking steps that may force a child to return against his will may work in the short term, but it may also have a negative impact. The child's determination may be bolstered by all of the attention that he had been craving - the attention that may have caused him to leave home in the first place. The child may see the attention as proof that his method is working and that he now has a sense of control that he did not feel before. He may decide to stay away in order to extract more from others.
The child may turn to the authorities for assistance. In that way, they have raised a simple issue to one that is larger and more difficult. He has the edge, since he will have presented his point of view first.
You may also take the initiative and contact the authorities. That, too, will not help your child return on a permanent basis - unless you are prepared for a major fight. If you win, your prize is likely to be a sulking, reticent, and frustrated child. He will spend much of his time thinking about the best ways to gain revenge. There is no way to prevent him from letting it out.
Furthermore, by going to the authorities, you have turned a family matter into a public issue. Do not take such a step lightly.
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