According to David Finkelhor at the Crimes Against Children’s Research Center, abductions by strangers are down 51% since 1997 yet only 13% of school aged children walk or bike to school compared to 48% in 1969.
Childhood is now a danger free zone, with kids bubble wrapped to keep them perennially safe. While we think we can shield our kids from imagined danger, we often ignore the fact that via the internet, our homes now bring the outside inside.
It may be time to realistically assess what threatens our children. Is it the unaccompanied ride or walk to a friends house or the time spent trolling the information highway for mind numbing hours.
Read about the five myths about missing children, in the Washington Post Article by David Finkelhor. The ubiquitous mantra, NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS isn’t the answer. It is better to teach our children to discern the signs of the inappropriate stranger.