Another head-shaker in Booju.

[velvetpage]

I'm continually amazed at the lack of understanding of some basic statistics. No, the world is not any more dangerous now than it was when you were a kid. No, kids are not more likely to be abducted, raped, murdered, or anything else. No, data from 25 years ago are not less accurate in terms of whether or not crimes were reported, though the convictions may be less accurate because of new methods of collecting data since then. No, I do not believe that the stats on stranger abduction have stayed almost exactly the same for the entire time governments have been collecting such stats, purely by coincidence, or that the oldest stats were wrong just because they're old.

I mean, really people. The chances of your child being abducted by a stranger at any point in their childhood are about one in twenty thousand. The chances of them being abducted by a non-custodial parent, if they have one, are one in a few hundred. The chances of them being abducted or hurt by Mom's new boyfriend, if she has one while they're kids, are about one in fifty. And the chances of you looking like an overprotective helicopter parent while you scream about stranger danger in a livejournal community are nearly 100%.

Get over it and let your kids develop age- and ability-appropriate independence, already.

Comments

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I'm not particularly afraid my kids will be abducted. They're far more likely to get hit by a car, so I'm taking pains to teach them to walk safely on sidewalks, or to get lost when they're out, so I'm teaching them their address and phone number. You know, things that little kids are supposed to know to keep themselves safe from/get themselves out of common situations.