Running away when cross

[shouldbe]

My ds is 8 and a half and has just run away after having a strop about being the one who counts in what was until then a very nice game of hide and seek in the garden with his sister and 2 friends.

He's been gone about 15 minutes and I have no idea what to do. We live in a fairly safe rural village so he knows his way around and knows lots of people but what on earth can I do?? I have 3 other children here; 2 of whom are not mine, one is ds's best friend who is most bewildered that ds has run off like this. Pride will be coming into it for ds I'm sure as he will be worried about how the friend will be viewing this.
He has done this before - run home from the shops after i have refused him a comic for example but this feels much worse.
I am feeling frantic but trying to think that chances are he'll come back as he calms down....wwyd?

i would go absolutely mental at him! and i would either ring around the village to see if anhyone has seen him or i would call the police

i would then not allow him to play out until he learns to stop running off

Is he back yet?

Could you find a nice community police officer who would speak sternly to him about the dangers?

I would probably be thinking about phoning the police if he's not back after 30 minutes unless you have positively got exactly where he is. (ie if your neighbour phones and says he's hiding at the bottom of their garden etc.)

He's back - he turned up in the back garden just moments after i posted having been round the block sulking (which is what I suspected but it would usually only take 5 minutes to do a lap so 15 felt like an eternity!)

I've been stern with him but it's hard as he's very very sad and sorry and now feels like the worst friend ever for leaving his friend (who he's insecure about atm anyway so this makes it worse!) He's gone up to his room with friend to play lego now so I have to wait and deal with it all more firmly once friend has gone (about 40 minutes away)

I feel as though I handle these situations badly; both ds and dd (11) are pretty quick to be stroppy towards me these days :(

The community police officer idea is a good one, thanks.

well he may be sad and upset but i would still come down on him like a ton of bricks.
quite frankly it is NOT safe for him to just go off by himself. and if there are no consequences he will think that is IS ok.. .and what is just walking round the block now will extend further and further because he thinks he is fine and it's ok
and what if he did it when you weren't at home? somewhere unfamiliar?

he needs to learn now that this is totally unacceptable