stranger danger

Why is it that no matter how much the "Rules" are drilled into the kids at school and at home regarding this VERY important issue, it all goes out the window when kids are faced with a real situation?

WHY? Because a young girl I know was beckoned to a car by a stranger.  She was standing in the vicinity of the open car door when the stranger asked "Is anyone looking after you?"

Luckily for her, her frantic mother was merely 7 metres away generating enough hysteria for her daughter and the stranger to abort any further communication.

The Police were notified, photographs were taken and investigations were made.

The good thing was that the little girl was unharmed and was snuggled up in the safety of her bed that night.  The sad thing was that she viewed the whole thing as an adventure that had made her mother cry.

How do we teach this lesson without completely destroying their innocence?

Comments

[Janette]

Praise the Lord she didn't get in the car and the Mother stopped it from happening. This story sends shivers up and down my spine. I hope the police catch this guy and lock him up and throw away the keys.

[KatherineB]

Please don't tell me this was YOUR little girl. I know - doesn't matter HOW MUCH WE TELL THEM - they are too innocent to fully understand why I guess. You have brought tears to my eyes and shivers down my spine, and I feel totally sick reading this post. Thank GOD the mother was close. Maybe photos should be made public to help identify the creep!!!!! Monsters... can you tell this is close to my heart too.

[Account Deleted]

Things like this is one reason why my kids don't play in the front yard unless there is an adult. (Back home it was fine, not here though) My husband thinks I'm paranoid. thats ok, I don't mind. I'm so glad this story didn't get worse, your title alone sent my heart into my stomach. I don't know if children will ever fully understand it until they become parents themselves. I don't know if I did as a kid....

[Tina Q.]

Oh, praise God she wasn't taken! So scary!

[Louise D]

Hi Lynette, I don't think it ever gets through to the kids the very real danger!.

I haven't checked in in a while - life has been happening at 100 miles an hour! So huge congrats on the masters. You deserve it - your stuff is fantastic and you were brave enough to enter good on you! Woo hoo I hope there were big dances round the kitchen! Have a very merry christmas, whilst taking lots of photos. Louise.

[scrappysue]

the truth? we have to destroy their innocence :(

so glad she's ok

[Petrina McDonald]

oh crap. it's horrible, isn't it? my poor kids are paranoid and are never more than inches away from my side when we go out :( the worst is when we are at the beach and they both want to be in different parts of the surf and I am torn between the 2. I am sure anyone could carry off a screaming child because they all scream and carry on because they don't want to go home - gives me nightmares

[kathie]

OMG! I'm so glad this tale had a happy ending. Very scary!!

[Julie Allain]

So scary

I'm so glad that the little girl is safe !!

[Kessa]

yes i am so lucky my daughter is okay and i hope it never happens again! This was just typed by my 11 year old son. He gets it!!!!!!!!!

[Kessa]

You know I don't have the answers anymore I thought I had them, educate, communicate, make them aware BUT reality is that even though you hold them tight you love them lots you let them out at as much as you dare there are people out there who just don't play by the rules. I have rules for everything to make me feel safe and something for my kids to set their standards by but there are people out there who are willing to break those rules in an instant. There was not enough time to evaluate to consider the consequences to think any further than the "I can get something from this situation" on his part. Split seconds is when your mind has to make decisions to protect and I can tell you that I was not up to the task. I thought I was an "on the ball" type of person who "got things" pretty quick and worked things out to enable me to protect my babies BUT I AM NOT. I was in a close distance and the children were not breaking "those rules" but someone more sinister was. I always check that the children are tucked in their beds at night, I check that the doors are locked and they snuggle into their stuffed toys and say "love you" when I leave their room BIT it doesn't matter how many times you have gone over this and how many rules you make to protect your innocent babies it can all go wrong in a matter of absolute seconds. I have shed a million tears and am shedding some more now I can only hope that this is a lesson for ME and for YOU and anyone that reads this blog to stay close because you will never know what is about to unfold in front of your eyes.

[Lynette van Barrelo]

To explain more clearly, Kessa was within 7 metres of her daughter when the stranger called to her so she was inside the perceived 'SAFE' zone. It was WITHIN that zone that the stranger intruded. Hence, undermining any parental protection that Kessa believed she had.

It certainly gave Kessa a scare as I'm sure it would any good Mum.

Let's hope that nothing like this will ever happen to one of us!

[Jen Bigg]

Wow! Glad things turned out well in this case. I am worried all the time about my kids. They are so outgoing and nice to everyone! We have "stranger" conversations all the time. It's sucks that there are such bad people out there. I, too, hope they catch this guy!

[Melinda]

So glad that her daughter is fine. Scary to be in that situation I am sure. Hopefully none of us will ever have to experience this.

[Kristi Smith]

That is terrible! Thank goodness she is okay. I am a very overprotective parent and I don't trust many. Sad, but true.

[Hetty]

Hi Lynette, wishing you and your family a very merry and safe Christmas.

Terrible story, glad to hear she is oke now, just goes to show doesn't it...

Hugs xx