Response to Reactions

Regarding the post about Josh (8y) going to the store alone-

Me- So I posted on our page about how you went to the store by yourself. Some of the people thought it was a bad idea for me to allow you to go alone.

Josh- Why? I was just fine. I walked down there, paid for my stuff, got my change and came home. No big deal.

Me- They were worried about the chance that something bad could happen to you- a dog attack, a creepy person try to snatch you, a car run off the road.

Josh- Nothing bad happened.

Me- But bad things happen to people everyday. Its a legitimate fear. We never know when something bad is going to happen. What do you think about that?

Josh- We can't be afraid of all the things that could happen. That would be terrible to be afraid all the time.

I couldn't agree more. With that I'd like to share some statistics from www.freerangekids.com Please forgive the formatting. Check out the link for a clearer read.

Abductions in perspective:

Number of children age 2 – 14 killed in car accidents, as passengers: 1300
Number of children killed each year by family members and acquaintances: About 1000
Number of children abducted in “stereotypical kidnappings” (kidnapped by a stranger for ransom or for sexual purposes and/or transported away) in 1999, the most recent year for which we have statistics: 115.
Number of those children killed by their abductor: About 50.

Murders of children by abductors constitute less than one half of 1% of all murders in America.

Stranger Danger?
Of all children under age 5 murdered from 1976-2005 –

31% were killed by fathers
29% were killed by mothers
23% were killed by male acquaintances
7% were killed by other relatives
3% were killed by strangers

Crime has been going down since the 1990s:

All U.S. homicides: Down 40% 1992 -2005.
Juvenile homicide: Down 36% 1993 – 2005 (kids under age 14)
Juvenile homicide: Down 60% 1993 – 2005 (age 14 – 17)
Forcible rape: Down 28% 1992 – 2006
Sex Abuse Substantiations of Children, 1990 – 2005: Down 51%
Physical Abuse Substantiations of Children, 1990 – 2005: Down 46%
Juvenile Sex victimization trends, 1993 – 2003: Down 79%