I’m sure I’ve said this a million times….

My kids are sheltered.

I don’t care.

Back in the day, I’d walk 1 mile through an orchard home from jr. high.

That’s just asking for an Amber Alert nowadays.

Except for that one time, I have never let my kids walk 2 blocks home alone from school.

Playing in the front yard? Not without me watching.

Will I let them ride their bikes across town to the baseball card shop alone like Hubby did when he was a kid, oh hells no!

I read a few chapters from Free Range Kids.

I’ll take my psycho paranoia anyday.

Today we left one week of vacation from Lake Tahoe and saw the usual road closure/snow/traffic alert sign on Hwy 50 read something scary as hell…..

CHILD ABDUCTION ALERT, ’94 pink Lincoln, CONT (?) plates (plate #)

Hello, the whole Jaycee Dugard episode replayed in my head.

She was 11 when she was kidnapped.

From Lake Tahoe.

I have an 11-year-old.

I don’t have anymore details, it could have happened anywhere in the state or adjoining states…but it just gave me the willies. I know it could be dueling divorcing parents, not necessarily a kidnapping, but I always think the worst.

When I was younger and my parents came up to the sierras I’d hang out in the casino arcades for a few hours at a time. Alone. While they were somewhere among thousands of slot machines. In the age of no cellphones.

I wouldn’t think of that today.

I know that my behavior to “protect” my kids isn’t foolproof.

Will the kids need therapy later on in life? Maybe. Maybe they’ll just blog like me to get their issues out. Are you an over-protective parent?

8 supporters in group:

  1. Ranch Girl said...

    Yup, I'm overprotective for sure. Helicopter parents they call us, don't they?! Oh well, I'm learning to let go bit by bit ... but ouch it's painful and scary!

  2. Heather B. said...

    Totally over-protective!!! Letting go and letting them grow up is hard. No gut wrenching! I'll take over-protective any day though! Whether they like it or not!!! ;)

  3. Liz said...

    Oh yes! I'm super overprotective! My husband is a CPS investigator & ex-patrol cop, so I've heard it alllllllllllllllllll and then some. Our kids don't do much of anything out of our sight!

  4. Liz said...

    Oh yes! I'm super overprotective! My husband is a CPS investigator & ex-patrol cop, so I've heard it alllllllllllllllllll and then some. Our kids don't do much of anything out of our sight!

  5. Carol said...

    I think it's so very sad that kids can't just wander and do their thing without supervision anymore. Back about one hundred years ago when I was a kid, I amused myself for hours going for bike rides on the back roads (we had those then), wandering through the countryside with my dog, taking our boat (in the summer) across the lake with a bunch of kids - what wonderful freedom and adventure. And such lack of fear. Sigh.

  6. Nikki, from Sittin' Pretty said...

    Absofreakinlutely. My kids can't sneeze without me knowing it.

    Hunter is 6 and Meg is 3. Last year was H first year in school and it about killed me to leave him.

    I'm 35 and when I was growing up I played in the woods all day. Came home in the dark. I walked to school by myself when I was 5 yrs old.

    Do I let MY kids do that? Hell no!

    Here's a question though. Is it a more dangerous world we live in today or was it just as dangerous when we were growing u?... you just didn't hear about things like that due to lack of media attention. Hmmmm.

    nikki
    thehousewifechronicles.net

  7. Pam said...

    yes and no. for a long time i wouldn't let my kids do stuff w/o me. they are not allowed to go outside w/o friends...at the least the girls aren't. my stepson is almost 16 and hubs lets him do almost whatever. don't have to worry bout him going outside too much though. he's always in the house all day playing xbox live. all of our kids have cell phones as well so we can contact them if they are out somewhere w friends.

    i definitely think it's more media attention that makes us fear more and be concerned. i think it was just as dangerous for us as kids back then, but we didn't hear about it all that often.

  8. Evolving Mommy Catherine said...

    I was thinking the same thing as Nik. Is it really *more* dangerous now or is it just more publicized and we are all being more precautions? Either way Maddy doesn't leave my sight. Safety first, right?

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