And those other dangers, can be avoided quite easily, with some simple precautions, and making sure your child knows NOT under ANY circumstances, to play around in the car. You can lock power windows in most cars now. You can take the cigarrette lighter out of the car. Child safety lock the doors. Take the keys with you (and crack the windows). You can turn the car alarm on while you step away. Leave the emergency break on and the car in gear (or park if auto). Take the keys with you. Et Cetera. All of those would take much less time and likely leave your child just as safe as dragging them back inside to answer the phone.
I was living in Nova Scotia, which has to be one of the friendliest place on earth. I was in fourth grade and walking back home (about fifteen to twenty minutes) during the winter.
Now, my parents raised me well. I knew the difference between a “bad touch” and a good touch. I knew to never, ever get in a car with someone else then them unless they knew about it. I had been instructed to not even get in a car with a family friend if I did not check with them first.
So I was walking back home, doing my best not to slip on the sidewalks (it gets very icy during the winter) and a man grabbed me. He told me something about it being very easy for little girls to slip and hurt themselves because of the ice. Now, my feets were dangling way off the ground and there was no way that I could twist myself to get a look at him. I was, well, trapped.
I remember telling myself that it could just be a polite person looking out for me but that it could also be a bad person. While he was carrying me, I looked at the houses around and decided which one I would run too first if he would let me go. I also decided to start screaming when we got to close of the parked car a little ahead.
I had always figured that if a guy would try to kidnap me, I’d kick him and run away to get some help. He came from behind and suprised me. So, anyway, after a while he put me back on the side-walk, told me to be careful and crossed the street heading in the opposite direction just as a car finally turned on the road. To this day, I still don’t know if he was just some harmless yet slightly stupid guy or an evil kidnapper.
I didn’t hesistate to walk to school the following day and my parents didn’t seem that concerned but I never again did the trip alone. I teamed up with another fourth-grader and when she was sick, my parents would drive me to school or her parents would.
I don’t think kids should be left alone, ever. But I don’t think that they always need adult supervision. They should just be instructed to never walk around all alone and at least bring a friend.
I won’t ever forget the feeling of pure terror that shot through me when this strange guy just grabbed me. Ever.