Reply #53: And if you notice, I didn't say people should lock their kids up until they turn 18.

[moriah]

Nor that I wouldn't let my kids play unsupervised. What I said was that I would not advertise the fact I was leaving my kids alone. Why make it easy for the few creeps that are out there? I've never had my house broken into, and crime is very rare in my city. I don't always lock my door. But I don't put a sign on my door saying "I have lots of valuables, and the door is open!" and leave the house unlocked.

Teaching kids how to handle life and dangerous situations is a hell of a lot more effective than trying to keep your kid wrapped in cotton wool. No matter how hard one might try, there's going to be a time when Mommie can't come to the rescue -- and that kid is very unlikely to be prepared to deal with it. But ignoring the danger and not talking to your kids about how to keep themselves safe is just as idiotic as thinking you can keep your precious little snowflake safe from harm forever and ever by being a helicopter parent.

You are the one who came up with the asinine notion that, in the unlikely event that someone tried to snatch a kid while they were playing with friends, that their playmates would be able to physically fight off an attacker. I haven't argued when you say that classic non-family abduction is rare -- it is. But you were the one who postulated what would happen if an actual attempt was made, and those "anecdotes" you dismiss prove your assumption wrong.

But hey, at least you aren't laughing anymore.