Would you let a 6th grader stand at the bus stop by herself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I would do it. But also be aware the middle school aged girls are the group most commonly kidnapped by strangers[i][u]. Your daughter should be aware of the potential for danger so that she is relatively alert, and she should know what to do if she gets a creepy feeling about someone or something.
I would also think twice if there was a situation like a construction project going on -- anything where someone from outside the neighborhood would be aware that she is regularly there by herself at a particular time. Some of the general contractors pick up day workers without doing any sort of background or reference check.

Source for this info? And statistic about what number of middle school aged girls are actually kidnapped by strangers each year?

Here's a quick reference to a Parents article that borrows from the FBI database. It indicates that about 180,000 children are abducted every year by strangers (24% of the total number of child abductions per year of 750,000 in the year 2001). Of those, 80% are abducted within a quarter mile of the home. About 74% of the abducted children are girls.
I can't find a ready cite for the fact that pre-teen or young teen girls are the most often targeted, but I know I've read that before in reputable places -- predators knows that the younger girls are less willing and able to fight back, and it seems to be an age group preferred by predators (like the awful man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, or the awful man in Cleveland that kidnapped all those girls). A lot of abductions are also probably never reported, because 12 and 13 year old girls are pretty easily intimidated and shamed into not telling if they've been sexually assaulted.
I recognize that its still a rare event, but you really can't say it's like a lightening strike thing. (And, actually, I know a couple of people that were hit by lightening.) You need to have your eyes open to the risks, know your neighborhood, and know your daughter's ability to recognize and respond to dangerous situations. There was a girl followed home from one of the middle schools in Bethesda just about a month ago -- the girl was alert and took steps to protect herself, but the guy in question was obviously trolling for a pre-teen girl.
http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I would do it. But also be aware the middle school aged girls are the group most commonly kidnapped by strangers[i][u]. Your daughter should be aware of the potential for danger so that she is relatively alert, and she should know what to do if she gets a creepy feeling about someone or something.
I would also think twice if there was a situation like a construction project going on -- anything where someone from outside the neighborhood would be aware that she is regularly there by herself at a particular time. Some of the general contractors pick up day workers without doing any sort of background or reference check.

Source for this info? And statistic about what number of middle school aged girls are actually kidnapped by strangers each year?

Here's a quick reference to a Parents article that borrows from the FBI database. It indicates that about 180,000 children are abducted every year by strangers (24% of the total number of child abductions per year of 750,000 in the year 2001). Of those, 80% are abducted within a quarter mile of the home. About 74% of the abducted children are girls.
I can't find a ready cite for the fact that pre-teen or young teen girls are the most often targeted, but I know I've read that before in reputable places -- predators knows that the younger girls are less willing and able to fight back, and it seems to be an age group preferred by predators (like the awful man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, or the awful man in Cleveland that kidnapped all those girls). A lot of abductions are also probably never reported, because 12 and 13 year old girls are pretty easily intimidated and shamed into not telling if they've been sexually assaulted.
I recognize that its still a rare event, but you really can't say it's like a lightening strike thing. (And, actually, I know a couple of people that were hit by lightening.) You need to have your eyes open to the risks, know your neighborhood, and know your daughter's ability to recognize and respond to dangerous situations. There was a girl followed home from one of the middle schools in Bethesda just about a month ago -- the girl was alert and took steps to protect herself, but the guy in question was obviously trolling for a pre-teen girl.
http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

Parents magazine is the WORST source of any reliable information on this topic. It is full of fear mongering articles that are conveniently placed next to an ad for yet another "piece of mind" child safety gadget.

This data is totally misinterpreted. These are NOT child abductions. These are "REPORTED MISSING" cases. Which is anything from runaway teens, to mostly child custody disputes, i.e. a non-custodial parent shows up at a day care to pick up the child; the custodial parent calls the police. It gets immediately reported in the national database of missing and exploited children. Then the child is returned unharmed, but that is not reflected in this number. There are only about 150 stereotypical (i.e. by a total stranger, not a family member) child kidnappings per year. Here is a very good articles that explains this in detail: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/01/800000_missing_kids_really.html
Read this report too: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/196467.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am trying to imagine a close-in suburb where there would be literally nobody else around or awake at 7 am, but I'm not succeeding. Could you help, please, OP?

Not OP, but perhaps Molesville, "City of Moles." Inhabitants are actually awake by 7, but they're underground.

[Anonymous]

I would not if she is by herself in the dark, unless you can see the stop from the window. There are too many crazies out that are watching and looking for opportune times and once they see her pattern I think she becomes a prime target, no matter how safe the neighborhood. But I think I would let her walk home by herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not if she is by herself in the dark, unless you can see the stop from the window. There are too many crazies out that are watching and looking for opportune times and once they see her pattern I think she becomes a prime target, no matter how safe the neighborhood. But I think I would let her walk home by herself.

Total bullshit.

[Anonymous]

Helicopter Alert.

Kids in middle school should be on their own. They can cross streets, walk alone, bike alone, stay in the house alone.

Time to wake up people. They aren't babies anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I would do it. But also be aware the middle school aged girls are the group most commonly kidnapped by strangers[i][u]. Your daughter should be aware of the potential for danger so that she is relatively alert, and she should know what to do if she gets a creepy feeling about someone or something.
I would also think twice if there was a situation like a construction project going on -- anything where someone from outside the neighborhood would be aware that she is regularly there by herself at a particular time. Some of the general contractors pick up day workers without doing any sort of background or reference check.

Source for this info? And statistic about what number of middle school aged girls are actually kidnapped by strangers each year?

Here's a quick reference to a Parents article that borrows from the FBI database. It indicates that about 180,000 children are abducted every year by strangers (24% of the total number of child abductions per year of 750,000 in the year 2001). Of those, 80% are abducted within a quarter mile of the home. About 74% of the abducted children are girls.
I can't find a ready cite for the fact that pre-teen or young teen girls are the most often targeted, but I know I've read that before in reputable places -- predators knows that the younger girls are less willing and able to fight back, and it seems to be an age group preferred by predators (like the awful man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, or the awful man in Cleveland that kidnapped all those girls). A lot of abductions are also probably never reported, because 12 and 13 year old girls are pretty easily intimidated and shamed into not telling if they've been sexually assaulted.
I recognize that its still a rare event, but you really can't say it's like a lightening strike thing. (And, actually, I know a couple of people that were hit by lightening.) You need to have your eyes open to the risks, know your neighborhood, and know your daughter's ability to recognize and respond to dangerous situations. There was a girl followed home from one of the middle schools in Bethesda just about a month ago -- the girl was alert and took steps to protect herself, but the guy in question was obviously trolling for a pre-teen girl.
http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

Parents magazine is the WORST source of any reliable information on this topic. It is full of fear mongering articles that are conveniently placed next to an ad for yet another "piece of mind" child safety gadget.

This data is totally misinterpreted. These are NOT child abductions. These are "REPORTED MISSING" cases. Which is anything from runaway teens, to mostly child custody disputes, i.e. a non-custodial parent shows up at a day care to pick up the child; the custodial parent calls the police. It gets immediately reported in the national database of missing and exploited children. Then the child is returned unharmed, but that is not reflected in this number. There are only about 150 stereotypical (i.e. by a total stranger, not a family member) child kidnappings per year. Here is a very good articles that explains this in detail: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/01/800000_missing_kids_really.html
Read this report too: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/196467.pdf

Thanks for sharing the Slate link, PP. Helpful read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Helicopter Alert.

Kids in middle school should be on their own. They can cross streets, walk alone, bike alone, stay in the house alone.

Time to wake up people. They aren't babies anymore.

You sound like my neighbor who spends no time with her kids under the guise of giving them independence. To each his own. What you call helicopter parenting, others call parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Helicopter Alert.

Kids in middle school should be on their own. They can cross streets, walk alone, bike alone, stay in the house alone.

Time to wake up people. They aren't babies anymore.

You sound like my neighbor who spends no time with her kids under the guise of giving them independence. To each his own. What you call helicopter parenting, others call parenting.

Do you think that kids in middle school (so ages 11-14) can cross streets by themselves, walk places by themselves, bicycle places by themselves, and stay in the house by themselves? Or do you think that they can't? Or what is your opinion?

[Anonymous]

Assuming my child was responsible, developmentally typical, and the area relatively safe, yes I would. I'm all about preparing kids. Yes backing off is scary, but so is sending an 18 year old, who was never given any freedom to fly solo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course. I let my third grader walk to school on her on. So do most people in the neighborhood.

Yes, but presumably there are other kids around. In this case, no one else would be around.

Whatever. It is crazy paranoia not to allow an 11 year old to stand outside for a few minutes.

I am trying to imagine a close-in suburb where there would be literally nobody else around or awake at 7 am, but I'm not succeeding. Could you help, please, OP?

NP here and I live in Centreville, in a relatively off track subdivision, and its still busy enough at 7 am on our streets! Amen!

[Anonymous]

Did I miss something? How do we know it's 7 am? My kids leave the house at 6:40 to catch the bus and that's only because the schedule was shifted 20 minutes later than previous years. I can tell you that at 6:20 am the small residential street the bus stops on was pretty deserted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I would do it. But also be aware the middle school aged girls are the group most commonly kidnapped by strangers[i][u]. Your daughter should be aware of the potential for danger so that she is relatively alert, and she should know what to do if she gets a creepy feeling about someone or something.
I would also think twice if there was a situation like a construction project going on -- anything where someone from outside the neighborhood would be aware that she is regularly there by herself at a particular time. Some of the general contractors pick up day workers without doing any sort of background or reference check.

Source for this info? And statistic about what number of middle school aged girls are actually kidnapped by strangers each year?

Here's a quick reference to a Parents article that borrows from the FBI database. It indicates that about 180,000 children are abducted every year by strangers (24% of the total number of child abductions per year of 750,000 in the year 2001). Of those, 80% are abducted within a quarter mile of the home. About 74% of the abducted children are girls.
I can't find a ready cite for the fact that pre-teen or young teen girls are the most often targeted, but I know I've read that before in reputable places -- predators knows that the younger girls are less willing and able to fight back, and it seems to be an age group preferred by predators (like the awful man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, or the awful man in Cleveland that kidnapped all those girls). A lot of abductions are also probably never reported, because 12 and 13 year old girls are pretty easily intimidated and shamed into not telling if they've been sexually assaulted.
I recognize that its still a rare event, but you really can't say it's like a lightening strike thing. (And, actually, I know a couple of people that were hit by lightening.) You need to have your eyes open to the risks, know your neighborhood, and know your daughter's ability to recognize and respond to dangerous situations. There was a girl followed home from one of the middle schools in Bethesda just about a month ago -- the girl was alert and took steps to protect herself, but the guy in question was obviously trolling for a pre-teen girl.
http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

You are either nuts or you are quoting from some wacko website. In 2013 exactly 124 children were abducted by strangers. You child has a better chance of being hit by lightning twice than by being kidnapped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Helicopter Alert.

Kids in middle school should be on their own. They can cross streets, walk alone, bike alone, stay in the house alone.

Time to wake up people. They aren't babies anymore.

The kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard occurred on June 10, 1991, in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dugard was 11 years old at the time and was abducted from a street while she was walking from home to a school bus stop. Searches began immediately after the kidnapping, but no reliable leads were generated. She remained missing for more than 18 years. On August 24 and 25, 2009, convicted sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido visited the campus of UC Berkeley accompanied by two girls. Their unusual behavior sparked an investigation that led Garrido's parole officer ordering him to bring the girls to a parole office on August 26, accompanied by a young woman who was then identified as Dugard.

Garrido, 58, and his wife Nancy Garrido, 54, of Antioch, California, were arrested for kidnapping and other charges. On April 28, 2011, they pleaded guilty to Dugard's kidnapping and sexual assault. Law enforcement officers believe Dugard was kept in a concealed area behind the Garridos' house in Antioch for 18 years. During this time, Dugard bore two daughters who were ages 11 and 15 at the time of her reappearance. On June 2, 2011, Phillip Garrido was sentenced to 431 years imprisonment; his wife Nancy Garrido received 36 years to life.[1]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I would do it. But also be aware the middle school aged girls are the group most commonly kidnapped by strangers[i][u]. Your daughter should be aware of the potential for danger so that she is relatively alert, and she should know what to do if she gets a creepy feeling about someone or something.
I would also think twice if there was a situation like a construction project going on -- anything where someone from outside the neighborhood would be aware that she is regularly there by herself at a particular time. Some of the general contractors pick up day workers without doing any sort of background or reference check.

Source for this info? And statistic about what number of middle school aged girls are actually kidnapped by strangers each year?

Here's a quick reference to a Parents article that borrows from the FBI database. It indicates that about 180,000 children are abducted every year by strangers (24% of the total number of child abductions per year of 750,000 in the year 2001). Of those, 80% are abducted within a quarter mile of the home. About 74% of the abducted children are girls.
I can't find a ready cite for the fact that pre-teen or young teen girls are the most often targeted, but I know I've read that before in reputable places -- predators knows that the younger girls are less willing and able to fight back, and it seems to be an age group preferred by predators (like the awful man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, or the awful man in Cleveland that kidnapped all those girls). A lot of abductions are also probably never reported, because 12 and 13 year old girls are pretty easily intimidated and shamed into not telling if they've been sexually assaulted.
I recognize that its still a rare event, but you really can't say it's like a lightening strike thing. (And, actually, I know a couple of people that were hit by lightening.) You need to have your eyes open to the risks, know your neighborhood, and know your daughter's ability to recognize and respond to dangerous situations. There was a girl followed home from one of the middle schools in Bethesda just about a month ago -- the girl was alert and took steps to protect herself, but the guy in question was obviously trolling for a pre-teen girl.
http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

You are either nuts or you are quoting from some wacko website. In 2013 exactly 124 children were abducted by strangers. You child has a better chance of being hit by lightning twice than by being kidnapped.

Yes, person equates missing person with kidnapped. article says vast majority of missing persons resolved within hours.