imagine. We patiently talked, expressed concern and love. That didn't stop it.

We implemented punishments, like loss of cell phone, taking bedroom door off, no car except school, that didn't stop. This kid would run away if we punished too strictly. We even pulled police into it looking for them one night. That didn't work either.

Finally, we made one rule, no lying/sneaking. If they wanted to leave, they went out the front door and told us where they were going (regardless of the time of night). I even put a note on the window reminding my child to go out the front door. At that point, all I was concerned about was that my child not lie and that we kept this kid safe (and without kids) until old enough to make better decisions.

It eventually worked. This child finally stopped sneaking and mostly stopped lying. The only thing that would be punished was the lying. I felt like we needed to establish a baseline of someone who could function honestly in society. I felt like the other behavioral stuff would work itself out as this child matured, which has been the case for the most part.