I think we can all agree that times have changed. Years ago, parents were not afraid to let their kids run out and play, they would in fact come and go as they pleased. A 10 year old child being home alone was not a big deal. Parents trusted their kids and more importantly trusted the neighborhood. Well, that time is long gone.
Now if you go anywhere, your child comes with you. You think twice before letting your child walk out of the house alone, let alone go to a friend's house down the block without you watching them until they get in the door. And you call to check that they are okay.
The world we used to live in with that feeling of safety and trust is but a distant memory and you scoff at the people who seem to think it still exists. You wonder what the lady who put her 9 year old on a train by himself was thinking, as you imagine all of the bad things that could've happened to him. You cry every time you hear about a child that was raped, kidnapped, or murdered.
Where did that feeling of safety go? Why is it that we now have to be afraid to check our children's backpack for fear of yet another letter from the school about a sexual predator that has moved into your neighborhood? And what do we tell our children about the world they now live in? We can't sugar-coat it and make it seem like they are living in a perfect world. They have to know about the dangers that lie all around us. We have to teach them to stay close, not to talk to strangers, and to trust no one. The world is NOT what it used to be!
