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As kids, you probably engaged in constant battles with your parents about being able to stay home alone, or walk home with friends from school. As teenagers, you probably wanted to hang out at the movies, mall or stay overnight at a friend’s house with no adult supervision. And curfew – why is that necessary? Besides the typical concerns of alcohol, drugs, crime and the usual trouble kids get themselves into, parents are worried about other safety issues.
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You’ve probably seen their pictures on the sides of milk cartons or flashed across the TV screen. “They” is referring to the missing kids of all ages who are taken from their homes, schools, or streets; in some cases, missing children have runaway. 3 out of every 4 missing young people are abducted by family members or someone they know. The rest of them become the victims of sexual predators, pedophiles, or other ‘sickos’ who get pleasure form causing others pain.
The 75% of people abducted by a parent, other family member, or someone they know are taken because of a custody battle between their parents or arguments over visitation rights. Some are victimized in order for the kidnapper to get revenge or make the child’s caretaker suffer. When young children or teens go missing, it’s a nightmare for their loved ones! It’s also usually a dangerous and frightening experience for the victim. To keep you physically safe, emotionally sound, and home where you belong, both your parents and you need to follow some “better safe than sorry” strategies. Your parents have to ask the four “W” questions, and you need to give them the answers. The questions are: Who are you going to be with? What will you be doing? Where are you going? And When will you be back? Difficult as it may be to believe, these questions aren’t asked to lessen your privacy, they’re asked to enhance your protection. Another way to say it is, getting answers to the 4 “W’s” isn’t snoopervision it’s supervision by parents who want you safe, sound, and around!
Hundreds of thousands of children are kidnapped in this country. In the case of Elizabeth Smart and many others, they get to return home safely. Family, friends, and neighbors search tirelessly until they have looked everywhere and exhausted every possibility. Some keep the faith, while others lose hope. Being able to protect yourself and avoid situations such as this is important. Know who you can trust and as you’ve probably heard a million times, NEVER talk to strangers, accept rides, follow people you don’t know into any unknown places where there are not other people around to help you, should you need help.
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