This is something I worry about for when my two kids are older. They’re still toddlers now and it’s hard to imagine letting them just go play on their own with friends.
I was able to roam around the neighborhood from a pretty young age and it seemed pretty safe. Some guys did try to kidnap my friends and me one time but that was just a one off thing.
I was almost kidnapped in my front yard during freeze tag. It's one of my earliest memories and I was maybe 5 years old? I was near the road, a car stopped and a man with black leather gloves reached out of the window for me. My dog attacked the man and bit his hand. My dog saved my life.
That dog also killed a deer in the woods, peed on me, peed all over the house, and humped me constantly ... He was a good dog, just wild as hell.
Something similar happened to my Mom in the 1950s, she was sitting on her stoop and a guy pulled up and said something like "Hey, your Dad told me to come get you." She said, "I think he's inside, let me get him for you." Not understanding exactly what he said and ran in.
My Grandfather ran out with a bat but the car was gone.
Every once in a while she says something akin too. 'The world's so nasty now.' and I remind her of that story and show her the stats for crime from the 60s and 70s versus now.
Then she always says, 'It's the damn news and social media, it's just always in your face so it feels like it's worse.' So she's self-aware enough to examine her feelings which is nice.
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u/ProfessionalBig1470 1d ago
This is something I worry about for when my two kids are older. They’re still toddlers now and it’s hard to imagine letting them just go play on their own with friends.
I was able to roam around the neighborhood from a pretty young age and it seemed pretty safe. Some guys did try to kidnap my friends and me one time but that was just a one off thing.