16 year old son ran away wants to leave home please help

[Mother_of_6kids]

2 weeks ago my teenage son ran away in the middle of the night the police found him walking down the highway and picked him up and brought him back. A little back story my husband got a job on te road and since our children are in virtual learning due to covid we decided to keep the family together and travel with him. This has created stress for all of us of course. Staying in hotels and airbnbs is not the greatest but in the next 3 months we are buying a house and the kids and I won't be traveling with dad as much. Mind you dad is step dad to my teenage son and 9 year old son. Now today my 16 year old says he wants to go to grandma's which is up in north western Pennsylvania which i guess is okay except she lives in a trailer with my sister ans brother. She had throat cancer and can no longer speak and she is living on social security. The town she lives in has a serious drug problem, jobs are hard to find and I worry about my son living there as I fear he'll fail at life in a place like this. I asked him to talk to me to tell me how I can help him. He says he doesn't know. That's all I ever get out of him when its something serious. My heart is broken my son wants to leave his siblings and me his mother behind when I had him at 18 and gave my life to him. Now he couldn't less. How do I change his mind? What can I do to make him want to stay? He won't look for work he literally sits around all the time other than school he doesn't do anything because he lost his phone after running away. He used to work out that stopped also.. Please help

[Taylor-RO]

Hi @Mother_of_6kids, thank you so much for sharing and welcome to our forums. It sounds like you are in a really tough situation that has been stressful for your family. I can hear how much your heart is breaking at the thought of your son moving. It sounds like it is something that really makes you feel worried and stressed out. It is great that you have asked your son how you can help him - that is usually the best way to find out. Sometimes kids don't know the answer to that question which can put you in a tough spot as a parent. I am wondering if you think your son may benefit from talking to a counsellor? Also, is this something you have thought of doing for yourself? Being a parent can be really challenging and it is important to have your own support network to drawn on when needed  I am also wondering if your son has mentioned any reasons as to why he wants to live with his grandma? Please feel welcome to keep posting here to keep us updated