The world, it frightens me

We never leave our house doors unlocked. Ever. Even if we are home.

Our car doors aren't any different.

When we leave for vacation we lock the big garage door so it can't be lifted up.

All the windows are locked and checked regularly if we aren't using them.

My children aren't allowed to play outside without me. ( granted we have no fence..so anyone could wander in and take them. Or they do have a habit of wandering away themselves...)

My mother taught me to never answer the phone when she wasn't home, unless it was the "secret ring." She would call, let it ring twice, hang up and then call back. I will teach my children the same thing.

We had a secret code to use when someone would come to pick us up and claim to have been sent by my parents. It was S.O.S. My kids will have one too. ( though, maybe a different code now that I told you all what it was!)

My children know all about " stranger danger." The Boy knows who to talk to if he gets lost. He knows just how loud to scream and yell if someone who isn't his mommy or daddy tries to take him. He also knows that if he is being followed by someone he doesn't know, he is to run home as fast as he can. He knows what to say and who to talk to if someone tries( or succeeds) to touch him in inappropriate places. We sing songs about it, we act it out and we constantly talk about it. Once, having to find his mom was put to the test for real and it scared me to death. He did great.

Do you think I am being overly paranoid? Am I worried to much? Do I stifle my children, or scare them?

I think not.

I received an email today from one of my good friends that told of a news report of four little girls being molested inside a church building. The man just walked right in and no one knew. He also lured one of the little girls outside into his car and took off with her. He went inside a church, where people were, where their parents were. Now you know why my doors are always locked.

Its scares me to hear all the stories, to hear myself say, "that happened so far away, it couldn't happen to us." I would hate to become a victim because I was naive.

We live happy, healthy, normal lives. My children run and play just as much as any others. We go out and do things and I realize I will have to let The Boy go to the men's room on his own sometime in his life, maybe when he's 15. We love being together and being safe and I just want to keep it that way.

Am I crazy?