Wrong, parents have a lot of rights. Who told you that you cannot restrain your own child? No, you cannot kick them out until they are 18 but that doesn't mean you have no powers when they don't listen to you. You can go down to the court house and take out undisciplined juvenile papers. There is also a program called Tarheel Challenge that you can force your child to attend. Contrary to popular belief you can discipline your child. Your child may call DSS, but they won't waste their time with you after their initial investigation. The problem comes in when parents decide to hit in the face or use belts or other sorts of weapons to hit their child. As far as a juvenile running away from home, the courts can issue a secured custody order where that juvenile is taken into custody (GS 7B-1903) Also, if this juvenile ranaway with someone over the age of 18, that person can be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor (GS 14-316.1 a class 1 misdemeanor)