Missing children – what to tell your children before the unthinkable happens

Over the weekend one of the forums I frequent is abuzz with the news of a missing 10 year old girl. It is the best friend of the daughter of one of the regulars. Each day I log on, hoping to read that the child has been found safe.

It got me to thinking of something that I may have posted before, yet it needs to be posted again.

As parents, we typically tell our kids to be wary of strangers, not go get into someone’s car and some families even come up with a safe word or code word, to let a child know the stranger is there on the parent’s behalf.

Over the years we’ve heard stories of children who were abducted and with their abductors for a long period of time. During the captivation, the children often had opportunities to escape, and many of us wonder….why didn’t the escape? These children often explain that their captors convinced them their parents had given them away, or no longer wanted them.

As parents, we wonder, how could that happen? How could a child NOT know their parent had not given them away, especially when that parent has openly expressed love for that child?

Well, I believe the answer is that as parents, while we may tell our children we love them, and that they need to be wary of strangers, we rarely tell them expressly “there are bad people out there, and they lie to children, and tell them their parents no longer want them, or have given them away ----- I will love you forever, and under no circumstance would I ever give you away. If anyone ever tells you that, it is a lie. Remember, it is a lie. I would look for you forever.”

I believe, this is something we need to tell our children.

Age is Relative

Yesterday was our anniversary - 33 years. That, combined with the *age* comment I mentioned in yesterday's post, got me to thinking about the relativity of age.

Our son called yesterday, wishing us a happy anniversary. I mentioned to him I couldn't believe we had been married 33 years. His reply was something like "Well I can, after all, I will be 30 this summer."

Thirty....which got me to thinking that I wasn't much older that him (by six years) when we moved back to Havasu, and left Wrightwood. To me, that move always seems like it was yesterday.

Which means of course, just yesterday...I was about the same age as our oldest son.

If a person is a grandmother....does that mean they are less sharp?

Today I read an online advertisement for a program to teach people how to blog and make money. One of their big pitches was that the program was so easy...that a fifty year old grandmother was able to do it!

What?!?!?!?!

Now, I am not a grandmother yet, but I am 54. I thought 50 was the new 30? Or do we just get suddenly old and somewhat hapless when we have grandchildren?