Reply to Free-range kids picked up AGAIN by police

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]After listening to the 911 call, I'm less sanguine about the whole free range thing.  There was an adult male following these kids for like 30 minutes and the kids didn't notice?  That really freaks me out that my kids wouldn't notice if a predator was stalking them and waiting until they got into an area without good visibility.  It seems to me that these kids were not as well prepared to protect themselves as their parents would have you believe.  [/quote]

He was a dude walking a dog. Why would they think he was a predator? [/quote]

Most people walking dogs are not predators. Some predators do use animals as a lure to get close to children, so it is a good idea to be aware of this possibility when you don't know someone. Many predators have quite charming, appealing personalities in the presence of which both adults and children let down their guard.
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+1.  I'm the PP that made that comment, and I'm not saying that the fact that he was walking a dog is suspicious.  (I have a dog!  And walk it!).  I'm not a helicopter parent at all (frankly, I can barely keep track of my own comings and goings, never mind the kids.)  But the fact that someone is following you for 30 minutes is, at least, odd.  When I am walking by myself, as a woman, that is EXACTLY the kind of thing that I am on alert for.  If it looks like someone is following me, I cross the street and pretend to tie my shoelace.  If the person is just walking in the same direction that I was, they will just keep on going and I breathe a sigh of relief.  If the person stops to tie their shoelace or fiddle with their phone, I get to a safe place FAST.  That's just personal safety 101 -- be aware of your surroundings and attentive to unusual behavior.  I always tell my kid that if they see a person or a car that seems to be following them, get away from it immediately and if it persists in following you, start screaming bloody murder.  If you let your kids "free range" and don't give them this sort of training, I do think that's pretty irresponsible.  [/quote]

Several people (including me) have mentioned that the helpful stranger basically stalked the kids for 20+ minutes before calling the cops on them.  The kids may not have noticed him, may have been keeping an eye on him but not been alarmed enough to run off screaming bloody murder.  If they had taken off screaming, that would absolutely have been evidence to the disapproving public that they're not ready to make this walk.  These kids really have no way to win this one, besides the obvious, giving in to pressure and staying tied to their parents for the next several years.  [/quote]

Actually, if they had run home as quickly as possible, no one would be talking about this at all.

This gentleman was smart to not approach two children without an adult nearby and instead keep an eye out for their safety from a distance. He put their safety first while also avoiding the possibility of appearing to be a person of bad intent himself. It's a balancing act, and I think he handled it well.
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