A child may leave home for many reasons.

A very common reason is the belief that he feels miserable and that this is his ticket to a better life. This may occur in stable, functioning, good families as frequently as in weaker ones. A child may be convinced by his peers that he is unhappy, even if this is not objectively the case.

Children may have other reasons for leaving, including the following:

• Peer pressure: other friends have run away
• Bad advice from people whom the child respects
• Misunderstood advice
• Choosing friends who want to cause an exciting problem
• Responding immaturely to a dare
• Pressuring the parents other family members to do or buy something
• Calling for attention
• Attempting to escape responsibilities
• Physical or mental problems
• Problematic relationships outside of the family
• To test the parents' love
• To see whether the parents will chase her
• To achieve a specific goal
• To bargain for a specific product or service
• To avoid a punishment
• To avoid discovery of an improper action
• Other, individual reasons

Finally, children may leave without having reasons, and they may develop their own post-facto reasons for leaving.