Custodial parent's rights regarding runaway

[cat521]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?I have sole custody of my son (15). We live in Michigan. My son has always lived with me because of his father's drug addiction. His father has been clean and sober for 9 years now and wants my son to live with him. He was denied a Sole Custody petition in 2002. He was denied sole and joint custody. Sole custody was awarded to myself. There has never been communication between us. I have tried to talk with him but he seems to prefer we communicate between his mother. His mother and I have a wonderful relationship and since this was the practice for the first 12 years of my son's life, neither she nor I have a problem communicating.

My son now has decided the only way he can live with his father is to runaway. He ran away on the 2nd and I immediately had the local police escort him home. He said he will continue to run away until I allow him to live with his father.

His father is a good person however, his living arrangements are not a diserable place to raise a child. He was married in 2002 because he felt being married would help his custody efforts. He actually married his wife the day before we went to court. One year later, he divorced his wife due to her manipulating behavior and her addiction to prescription pain killers. He has since rekindled the relationship and once again wants custody. Her addiction was never addressed. I have no doubt that the courts will not change the custody arrangement. My fear is that my son will continue to run away.

What will the legal ramifications be if my son continues to run away? What are my options regarding this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ron1347]

I can't offer you any 'legal' commentary but...My wife and I had an adopted son (he was 14 at the time the consistent trouble with him really began). He decided that he was going to be as determined as he had to be, to be back with his natural parents. His answer was to run away. And run away again. And again and again and again. Until, the judge finally incarcerated him. He left our home at age 14...he hasn't been back since. He is now 18 1/2, and for other multiple reasons, is now serving time in prison. He was sent to group homes. Ran away! He was placed in non-secure facilities. He ran away. He was placed in a special foster home. He ran away. He was finally put in a secured detention facility, and kept there until he was just shy of 17. He was paroled, broke probabtion, locked up again. Patoled again, broke probabtion, locked up again. Paroled, off probation, broke the law multiple times again, now in big men's prison. Point being...he ran away enough times, that the court took control. That wasn't 'all' to his story, but a fair part of it.

 

[djohnson]

Why is your son wanting to go live with his dad? What does he think is greener there?

 

[cat521]

My son has never lived with his dad. We were divorced when he was 1. He has always thought his dad hung the moon and stars. He has been going to his dad's on the weekends for the past 5 years. His dad works two jobs so my son has a lot of freedom. He thinks that I am mean and boring. He has chores and responsibility at home and his dad doesn't require much from him. So yes, he thinks that the grass is greener.