Even if these situations don’t pan out to be legit (there is reason to believe that one story was not) it is a good reminder discuss how to educate and arm your kids with good tools IF it were to ever come up. Teaching children the ways to deal with situations will help them build confidence and act in ways that won’t make them a victim. Sheltering our kids and not giving them any freedom may make them think that the world is a scary place when in fact it’s filled with wonderful, interesting people and just a few “skeevy” people to avoid.
The information HERE came from a letter that went home to parents of PS 172. There is some great information here. Please take some time to discuss with your kids.
Here’s an article on the value of fostering a child’s independence and letting go of our kids. It also reminds us that we may need to put a little more trust in other parents that they know what they are doing before we call 9-11 and assume neglect if we see a kid walking alone.
And one statistic from the article worth noting: Kidnapping by strangers is wildly uncommon; in New York State, for instance, the Division of Criminal Justice Services announced that 20,309 children were reported missing statewide in 2011; exactly one of those children was confirmed abducted by a stranger.
Susan Fox
Park Slope Parents
Other useful reading around the web:
